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MEMOIR 

OP 

CAPTAIN M. M. HAMMOND, 

RIFLE BRIGADE. 



MEMOIR 

/ 



CAPTAIN M. M. IMMOND, 

RIFLE BRIGADE. 



J U ^ '-^ ^'ilsL^f )^ VV^^^><^Ki.x'>-^^^ ' 



" Come, I will shew thee a friend ; I will paint one worlh}- of thy trust. 
IIow beautiful thy feet, and full of grace thy coming, 
better kind conapanion ! Thou art well for either world. 
There is an atmosphere of happiness floating round that man ; 
Love is throned upon his heart, and light within his dwelling. 
His eyes are ray'd with peacefulness; and Wisdom Maiteth on his tongue." 

TrppERS Proverlial Philosophy. 



NEW YOEK: 
ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 

No. 530 BEOADWAY. 

1858. 



10 

A FATHER'S AFFECTION, ^ 

THIS MEMOIR OP A BELOVED 80K 

Is Insaitali 

BY 

A BROTHER. 



PEEFACK 



The compiler of the following pages, while he 
avails himself of the opportunity of acknowledging 
the kindness of those who have contributed mate- 
rials for his use, feels that some apology is due to 
them for the long detention of their letters. 

The idea of a Memoir of Captain Hammond's 
life was suggested immediately after his death. 
One by one those friends by whom it was hoped 
that the work would have been undertaken were, 
from various causes, compelled to relinquish it; 
and it was not until it seemed probable that the 
whole matter would fall through, that the writer 
of the present volume consented to make the at- 
tempt. 

Under his hands the progress of the Memoir, 
the materials for which were given over to him at 
the close of the last year, has been brought to a 



Vm PREFACE. 

conclusion. He submits it to the public, with 
thankfulness to Him who has permitted him to 
dwell for nearly twelve months on materials that 
have been characterised by a friend as "full of 
interest, sanctifying, and edifying;" and with a 
humble hope that the voice of one, whose personal 
example is no longer before us, may be foimd in 
these pages addressing each of us in the spirit of 
the Savioui* s words, " Go thou, and do likewise." 

DsoKMBKa 185r. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAOI 

Bably Days 1 

CHAITER II. 
Forest Scenes 18 

CHAPTER III. 

CONVEESION 25 

CHAPTER lY. 
Changed Habits ^0 

CHAPTER V. 
Doctrinal Views .... 61 

CHAPTER VL 
Love of Home 80 

CHAPTER VIL 
Letters ^^ 



CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER VIII. 

PAGE 

Emigrant Fever Ill 

CHAPTER IX. 
Usefulness 126 

CHAPTER X. 
Choice of Friends . . . .144 

CHAPTER XL 
Sympathy 154 

CHAPTER XII. 
Fervent in Spirit . . . .164 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Prayer 187 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Return to England .... 205 

CHAPTER XV. 
Marriage ...... 219 

CHAPTER XVL 
Conscientiousness 228 

CHAPTER XVII. 
The Bulgarian Campaign . . 250 



CONTENTS. xi 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

PAOK 

The Camp .267 

CHAPTER XIX 
The Hospital 293 

CHAPTER XX. 
The Harbinger . . . , .311 

CHAPTER XXI. 
The Crimea 332 

CHAPTER XXII. 
The Storming 342. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
Testimonial Letters .... 349 



CHAPTER L 

" Visions of childhood, stay, oh ! stay, 

Ye were so sweet and wild ; 
But distant voices seem'd to say. 
It cannot be ! They pass away — 

Thou art no more a child." 

LONQFELLOW. 

Eighteen months have scarcely elapsed smce the last gun 
was fired before Sebastopol. The smoke-wreaths, floating 
off in thin filaments, have been gathered up into another 
Avai' cloud, threatening another empire. 

But all is quiet in the Crimea. Upon the heights of 
Inkermann the listless Tartar again tends his flock. The 
bustard and the plover have returned to the steppes; the 
plateau is painted with purple and golden crocuses; there 
is peace upon the hills once more. 

From those deep ravines all living trace of the allied 
armies has disappeared. But many a rude cross, for ages 
to come, wall tell where, side by side, in sad array, the 
mighty hosts are resting. There each, in his warrior's 
shroud, sleeps till the earth shall give up her dead, and 
the Lord shall gather His elect from the four winds of 
heaven, 

A 



2 EARLY DAYS. 

The whole is now like a dream, and our minds, strained 
with intense excitement, have for the most part ceased to 
dwell upon the events of that unliappy period. 

Yet " the memory of the just is blessed/' and if, after 
this interval, in compliance with the urgent wishes of 
many, we offer, in the following pages, a short memoii' of 
one "who shall return no more to his house," it is not 
that we may exalt him, but rather that we may set forth, 
in the words of his simple epitaph — 

*' The praise of the glory of His grace, 
who gave a Christian lustre to his life, and a blessedness 
to his honourable death.'" 

Maximilian Montagu Hammond was the third son of 
W. 0. Hammond, Esq., of St Alban's Court, Kent, and 
of Mary Graham, eldest daughter of Sir H. Oxenden, of 
Broome Park, Kent. He was born on the 6th of May 
1824. His childish days are marked by an accident which, 
while its effects were felt by him till his death, gave an 
early indication of that unselfish and generous nature that 
characterised his after life. A powder flask came within 
his reach, and, aware that its contents were inflammable, 
although ignorant of their dangerous nature, he attempted 
to throw some into the fire, while in his mother's room : 
an alarming explosion took place; fragments of copper 
flew in every direction, deeply piercing the walls. The 
mantelpiece was riven in two, and the glass of the win- 
dows was shivered to atoms. As soon as the smoke 
cleared, it was found that the child's hand was fearfully 
shattered; the thumb was entirely removed, as far as its 
junction with the wrist ; surgical aid was immediately sent 



SEVERE ACCIDENT. 3 

for; and while a tenipoiary bandage was applied to the 
wound, " How glad I am, mamma," said the sufferer, " how 
glad I am that it was not you!" Great fears of lockjaw 
were entertained, but through God's mercy the wound 
healed favourably. It was not at first thought prudent to 
communicate to the child the extent of the injury, and the 
effect of breaking it to him was somewhat dreaded; but 
he received the announcement without emotion, and with 
perfect cheerfulness. In after years this loss w^as ever 
present to him. His sensitive nature made him often 
dread the surprise produced upon comparative strangers 
with whom he might shake hands — misgivings little sus- 
pected by those who felt his warm and hearty pressure. 
With this one exception his childhood and boyhood passed 
much as that of most other lads in his circumstances. 
He was a high-spirited and manly boy, joining with his 
brothers during their holidays in the favourite amuse- 
ments of their home; and, with a spirit of enjoyment, 
entering into all those initiatory sports, w^hich a country 
home affords — ferreting rabbits, riding, keeping pets, &c. 
He was a favourite with all, and his frank, honest, open 
fiice was an index to his character. Maxy was at this 
age full of strong impulse; rather impetuous, at times 
passionate, but of an affectionate disposition, strongly 
attached to his father and mother, his family, and his 
home. 

His bold, unflinching spirit shewed itself in a very early 
trait. He was playing with a companion, the son of a 
neighbouring gentleman, and with one of his brothers ; as 
they were together, remembering that he had not said his 
prayers that morning, Maxy suddenly knelt down in a 



4 EAKLY DAYS. 

wood-lodge, where they were at the time, and repeated his 
morning prayer, utterly fearless of ridicule. His inclina- 
tion for a soldier's life shewed itself early, and his future 
profession having been determined, he was sent to a school 
at Woolwich, whence he was soon after removed to the 
Royal ]\Iilitary College at Sandhurst. 

The letters of a mere child written from school, dwelling 
chiefly on the happier thoughts of home, his love for his 
family, his amusements, ponies, dogs, and pets, are little 
interesting to general readers, and there was nothing in 
his letters at this time beyond his years ; yet there are 
here and there some few touches of his natural character, 
and some few allusions, which shew that he had received 
the most inestimable of a parent's gifts — that he had been 
*' brought up in the fear of God.'' Of his first school he 
writes: "I do not like it very much, not so much as I 

expected We went to the fair; two of the boys got 

drunk; there are some very great blackguards at this 
school. M * * * reads prayers every morning and night; 

we don't ever kneel down Will you send me a 

parcel," he says to his mother, "as soon as you can? I 
■will tell you what to send — an enormous plain plum-cake, 
paper, pens, slate pencils, jam by plenty, and any extras 
that you like; a little money would not he amiss." There 
is something very illustrative here of his straightforward 
disposition ; he does not like hinting, but he likes indul- 
gence, and does not mince the matter. 

At Sandhurst his progress at first does not seem to 
have found favour with the authorities. He considered 
the sergeants, whose especial duty it was to report the 
delinquencies of the cadets, his natural enemies; and, 



PEOCrRESS AT SANDHURST. 5 

loving fun, and full of a boy's spirit, he was from time to 
time reported for faults, wliicli, though never in one 
instance discreditable, yet told against him in the opinion 
of the governor. 

In his second year he writes : " I could not make out 
what you meant in your first letter about my having got 
into some scrape, but I suppose that * * * was alluding to 
my character of last year. It did not frighten me in the 
least, as I knew I had done nothing wrong.'' Still, as he 
advanced, his desire to improve was evident, and the half- 
yearly reports shew, that his efforts were not unobserved 
by the professors. With all his love for amusement and 
natural disinclination to study, he felt and understood his 
own position, and the duty, not less than the importance, 
of advancing himself by his own exertions. He gave 
much attention to surveying, and was favourably men- 
tioned in this department. His employment in this 
service introduced him to the hospitality of a family in 
the neighbourhood, and procured for him a subsequent 
friendship, which, though strengthened little by personal 
intercourse afterwards, was never lost. One of that 
family, in a letter after his death, alludes to that early ac- 
quaintance : " He has always borne so bright a place in my 
thoughts since the time when I first saw him at our place 
as a boy.'' 

The examinations approached, and his thoughts turned 
to his future appointment to a regiment. " I suppose," he 
says in a letter to his mother, " there will be no chance of 
seeing W « « * for two or three years ; a soldier must 
not expect to be much at home. I wonder whether the 
duke has done anything about putting my name do^vn for 



U EARLY DAYS. 

the Rifle Brigade ; I hope he has, as I should very much 
like to go into that regiment." 

The approaching ordeal was a serious one, but Maxy's 
naturally strong will enabled him to overcome all dif- 
ficulties ; he passed creditably ; and was appointed to an 
ensigncy, without purchase, in the 66th Regiment of Foot. 
He never joined them, however, for his hopes w^re 
crowned soon after by his appointment to a second lieu- 
tenancy in the 2d battalion of the Rifle Brigade, at that 
time quartered at Newport. 

The period of a lad's "joining" is an important epoch 
in his life. Emancipated from the restraints and dis- 
cipline of school, at one step he passes from boyhood to 
manhood. In that sunny morning of life, we can well 
imagine the delight with which the young soldier, for the 
first time, abandoning the garb of the cadet, j)uts on the 
dark pelisse of the rifleman, and with lawful pride bears 
on his breast the silver cross upon which are inscribed, 
"Copenhagen, Monte- Video, Roli^a, Vimiera, Corunna, 
Bosaco, Barrosa, Fuentes d'Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, 
Salamanca, Vittoria, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, 
Peninsula,, Waterloo;" in later times to be enriched by 
names no less renowned, and of sadder import to many. 

No letters of this period exist, which might describe his 
first impressions on joining. The world with all its plea- 
sures was now. open to him, and it was hardly to be ex- 
]:ected that his ardent temperament would escape its 
dangers. Before him, as before us all, lay the broad and 
the narrow way ; and, although his own natural good sense 
and good taste led him to avoid those habits of life into 
which lower natures too often fall, yet the biographer 



FRIVOLOUS LIFE. 7 

would not be faithfully painting his character, if by his 
silence he glossed over those passages of his early life, 
" wherein in times past he walked according to the course 
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the 
air, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind." 
After the completion of this memoir, some additional 
materials were placed in the compiler's hands, and from these 
one extract seems specially worthy of insertion, inasmuch 
as Maxy makes use of the very same passage of Scripture to 
characterise his early life. In a commentary on the 
Ephesians, we find these remarks : " It is good for me to 
remember how I walked in times past, ' according to the 
course of this world, according to the prince of the power 
of the air, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the 
mind, a child of wrath/ Oh ! how justly might I then have 
been cut down as a cumberer of the ground — a rebel against 
God — a wilful and an open transgressor of His holy laws 
— and, oh ! how rich, how abounding has been the mercy 
which spared me, and which, I humbly trust, has brought 
me as a poor penitent to the foot of the cross of Christ." 
That his citizenship was at this time altogether here 
that his life was wholly given to amusement and pleasure, 
might be gathered from the few letters which we possess. 
These relate for the most part to the merest trifles, and 
are scarcely worth insertion, were it not for the sake of 
comparing them with those of a later time. 

" Newpoet, 21 s^ June. 
" My dear Father, — I could not answer your letter 
earlier ; the pic-nic ended very badly, and I am heartily 
sorry I did not go with you to Chepstow. » » * would not 



8 EARLY DAYS. 

let the band wait for dancing in the evening ; so we were 
obliged to content ourselves with a little dancing on the 

wet grass." . . . 

The battalion was soon after moved to Swansea ; and, 
while there, orders arrived for foreign service. Bermuda 
was their destination. Maxy announces this unexpected 
change to his father in the following letter: — 

" Swansea, 21 5^ August 
" My dear Father, — We are to embark for foreign 
service in about three weeks ; and where shall we go to, do 
you think? Is it to Gibraltar, Malta, the Cape, or Canada? 
We are not destined to any of these, but are going to tlie 
Bermudas, of all unexpected places. It never even en- 
tered anybody's head that we had the remotest chance of 
going thei^e. Several expected to have gone to Gibraltar, 
which would have been disgusting in the extreme, and a 
sure stepping-stone to the West Indies. The Bermudas, 
of course you know, is one of the best colonial stations we 
have, and an unexceptionable climate. I, for my part, 
would have preferred Canada; but I don't think we need 
complain. We expect to march out of Wales in a few 
days ; but where we shall go for embarkation I do not yet 
know. I am rather sorry that we shall go out this year, 
as I should have preferred the spring; and another thing, 
I bought a very nice pony the other day, as cheap as dirt. 
This would do very well for M. and C. to ride, and if we 
embark at Portsmouth or anywhere else, I shall send her 
down for their use. I will write and let you know, when 
the 'route' comes, where we are to go for embarkation." 



EEMOVAL TO DOVER. 9 

As far as he was concerned, his expectations of foreign 
service were not so sjDeedily realised. The battalion 
marched to Bristol, and from thence to Dover, where the 
embarkation of the service companies took place; and 
Maxy Hammond, having been told off for one of the 
depot companies, remained with them at Dover. Here 
he was quartered for some months; entering without 
restraint into all the trifling vanities of a garrison life; 
living as he saw others lived, without thinking or caring 
how, and treading without the slightest misgiving the 
broad paths where the shadow of the cross never fell. 
That his pursuits were at best frivolous, his letters will 
shew. We will extract some passages from these letters : — 

" Dover, Sunday. 
" My dear Mother, — I should have enjoyed, beyond 
measure, going to the * * *'s ball, but I am perfectly 
unable, as I am engaged to go to a ball here on the same 
day at Mrs * * *'s ; I shall write to * * * to thank her 
for asking me. We had a very good ball here on Friday; 
about one hundred and fifty people ; but the room was 
dreadfully crowded. There are no end of balls now. I 
found six invitations when I got here (he was within 
twelve miles of his home, and was consequently frequently 
going backwards and forwards). If my pony is sound I 
wish you would let me know, that I may send over for it ; 
a capital ball at Canterbury. — Your afiectionate, 

"M. M. Hammond." 

" Dover, Uh June. 
" My dear Mother, — I trust this frost will leave off 



10 EARLY DAYS. 

before Lady * * *'s ball, or it will be very disadvanta- 
geous to the people from the country ; however, I don't 
think there will be niucli snow, as the glass is rising. We 
had capital fun at the * * *'s juvenile dance last night. 
. . . . — Your affectionate son, 

« M. M. Hammond." 

So passed the winter months. In the early spring the 
battalion left Bermuda for Halifax, and Maxy Hammond 
was ordered to join the service companies. He writes 
again from Dover : — 

" Since I was at home on Friday, another change has 
taken place in our movements : a letter arrived from 
B * * * yesterday, which said they were not going to 
send us out in the Resistance, but that we were to go out 
almost immediately in two transports, one of which is now 
lying off Deptford, and the other expected daily from the 
Mediterranean "" 

"I have just learned that the names of the trans- 
ports are the Premier and the Boyne. We expect to 
embark from Deptford or Gravesend. One hundred volun- 
teers from the 1st battalion arrived yesterday from 
Dublin." 

The embarkation took place some time after, and his 
next letter is dated, 

" Pkemier, June 16. 
" My dear Mother, — Here we are, thus far having 
made a very fair passage up to this time. We left Dover, 
as you know, about seven o'clock, and arrived alongside 



AT SEA. 11 

the ship about two. As soon as we got the men into 
their places, we were told that we were to go off at f our 
o'clock next morning, which was rather too soon to be 
quite pleasant, as we had not brought any essentials for 
the voyage. So I managed to slip on shore, bought sun- 
dry things, and afterwards went to dine at the Clifton 
Hotel, with * * * . We then went on board again, and 
found that the medicine chest had not arrived, and that 
the doctor would have to go to Chatham to fetch it; so 
the vessel was delayed till the afternoon, and we at last 
got fairly under weigh about half-past two. The wind 
was then S.W., and so we went do^vn the river in grand 
style, and came to an anchor about dusk, nearly opposite 
Heme Bay. The next morning we got under weigh about 
half-past two, the wind having chopped round to the N.E., 
which was capital for us ; and as it blew pretty fresh, we 
went round the foreland at the rate of about seven knots 
an hour; put our pilot ashore in the Downs, and arrived 
opposite Dover about eight o'clock. We passed in a 
splendid manner, the breeze having freshened a little, and 
we had almost passed by before the flag was hoisted at 
the castle. I could see nothing of anybody except * * * , 
who was at his window. I could see nothing of No. — 
Marine Parade. I suppose they were in bed. We came 
very well down as far as Dungeness Lighthouse, and then 
the breeze slackened, and we came slowly as far as this. 
The wind having chopped round to N.N.W., which is 
against us. I am so sorry that I did not take poor Boxer, 
as they made no objection to our putting dogs on board. 
The captain is a very good sort of obliging sailor, and so 
is the agent, who is sixty-one years old, and only a lieu- 



12 EAIJT.V DAYS. 

tenant. A shocking thing occurred when we were at 
anchor oft' Heme Bay. The corporal of the guard, who 
Avas sleeping in the forecastle, got up in the middle of the 
night half asleeji, and fell overboard ; and before the boat 
could be lowered, the poor fellow had gone down. He 
was a young man, and a very good steady soldier. The 
only part of it that I don't like, is the horrid night watch, 
which is a great nuisance indeed. The first and last 
watches are well enough, but the middle watch, from 
twelve to four, seems like an age. The feeding is decidedly 
indifferent; but I believe it is considered quite good for 
ship-board. We have four meals a-day — breakfast at 
nine, luncheon at twelve, dinner at four, and tea at eight 
— so that we do pretty well on the whole. We have 
preserved milk wdiich is like oil, butter like tallow, and 
yellow water. Imagine the triumph of having passed 
three days without feeling sick, or ever feeling off" one's 
feed; but the difference between this and a vile oily 
steamer is indescribable. If there is any sea, there is pro- 
bably wind, and you go through the water as smoothly as 
possible. This vessel is a very fast sailer; we pass every 
thing we come near. Her accommodation is very good 
indeed; w^e have each a cabin to ourselves, and they have 
plenty of light and air to them. The men amuse them- 
selves in dift'erent ways; and after our dinner they come 
aft, and, with the assistance of our Irish piper, dance reels 
and sing songs and glees, play hunt the slipper, and all 

such amusements We expect to arrive oft* St 

Catherine's point very soon, so I must let go the anchor 
and bring to, with my best love. — Ever your affectionate 
son, M. M. B:' 



ARRIVAL AT HALIFAX. 13 

On the 2d of August he writes again to announce his 
arrival at Halifax : — ■ 

"Here I am safely landed at last, after a passage of 
forty-five days. We had nothing but contrary winds, bad 
weather, and fogs, the whole way out ; if it did not blow 
hard it was sure to fall a dead calm. I got on very com- 
fortably till the Saturday night after we started, when a 
gale of wind came on while we were off the coast of Ireland, 
and from that time, for eight days following, I was in a 
constant state of sea-sickness, without any intermission 
from morning to night ; * * * and * * * were quite as 
bad as myself. I cannot describe to you anything equal 
to our misery; however, we at last began to recover, and 
never had any return of it, and I think we all are as .c;ood 
sailors now as anybody. After beating across the Atlantic, 
we saw land for the first time on the 27th, and coasted 
down here, and cast our anchor in Halifax harbour at twelve 
o'clock P.M. on the 29th. We were very nearly missing 
the harbour altogether; and if it had not been for our acci- 
dentally falling in with a pilot, we should very likely have 
passed it, as the Admiralty charts proved to be wrong; 
and we made out by our own reckoning that we were 
thirty miles to the north of where we really were. The 
pilot told us that we had been close to some very danger- 
ous rocks, which we knew nothing of. We amused oar- 
selves on the voyage by shooting and harpooning porpoises; 
and when we got to the bank of Newfoundland we began 
to fish, and in two hours caught seventy large codfish, 
averaging from 10 to 25 lbs. weight; as fast as you put 
your lines down, you hauled up fish ; we caught enough 



] 4j early days. 

for all the men and crew besides ourselves. But I have 
said enough about the voyage. 

" Halifax is a town of tolerable size, built on the side of 
a hill, with the citadel at the top. There is a splendid 
harbour with two or three small islands in the middle, 
and depth of water enough to hold the largest ships of 
war. A little higher up, about three miles, there is an- 
other fine piece of water, six miles long, which joins the 
basin by a narrow neck. Altogether this is a very pretty 
place, and if the houses were built of stone it would be 
beautiful. The houses are all built of brick with the 
exception of the House of Parliament, which is a fine 
building. The streets are good, and are at right angles 
to one another. TJie shops are pretty good. The only thing 
that I detest are the thousand hideous negroes, of every 
shade and colour, from the Creole to the blackest nigger. 
The women are uglier than the men ; and when you see 
them dressed in white, they look most absurd. The Indian 
squaws here astonished me at first. They are dressed very 
curiously, with all their clothes embroidered with pearls. 
They always walk in Indian file, one after the other, about 
a yard apart, with their babies slung at their backs. 

" All the barracks are full, and will be so till the Premier 
is ready to take away the 76th, and the Gem comes with 
the battalion from Bermuda. So at present we are in a 
very uncomfortable state, with nothing unpaclced, and 
living at an hotel. I am very glad to have a chance of 
seeing poor little Boxer again. I must say I felt full of 
compunction when I saw the frantic state he was in after 
the boat shoved off at Dover. If he does reach this place, 
you may depend upon it I shall not desert him again. 



INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE. 15 

The rats on board the Premier became at last insuffer- 
able ; and they arrived at such a pitch that they absolutely 
came on my pillow when I was asleep ; and I have kno\vn 
them to run over my body when I have been laying down 
on watch. The noise they made was something extra- 
ordinary ; but it will soon be stopped, as they are going 
to be smoked out. We saw some very large icebergs 
on our way out, and one day we were almost surrounded 
by them. You can feel them a long time before they 
come in sight, as the air is piercingly cold, when you 
are anywhere in their neighbourhood. The Gem started 
from Bermuda with the 2d battalion last Thursday; so 
we expect them here on Thursday or Friday following. — 
Ever your affectionate son, 

" M. M. Hammond/' 

In these and other letters of the period, we find nothing 
to distinguish them from those of any other lad of eighteen. 
In the simple and almost boyish narrative of his voyage, 
scarcely a j^assage occurs which elicits from him one 
thoughtful remark. Yet even now he was not without 
occasional misgivings as to his spiritual state. He was 
living without God, and he knew it The cloud would 
steal over him from time to time. On this voyage, as he 
afterwards said, he knev/ that he was not prepared to die ; 
and he felt a desire, as the thought of eternity j^resented 
itself to his mind, of leading a better Life. He had at 
this time a respect for religion, and went to church ; but 
Sunday was a weariness to him; and he always indulged 
in *' castles in the air " during the service. 

This first trip across the Atlantic probably gave him a 



1 G EARLY DAYS. 

taste for the sea, which became afterwards very decidedly 
developed ; and much as he suffered, as the Premier, with 
the wind on her quarters, strained and rolled in the trough 
of those mountain waves, all was soon forgotten, and he 
entered with a sailor's zest and spirit into the professional 
details of the voyage, noting how the ship ran her course, 
taking a pride in her rapid sailing, and delighting to watch 
her answer her helm. 

He has mentioned in this letter more than once a 
favourite dog Boxer. Through his life he had a strong 
love of all animals, and especially of dogs. There is an 
old northern proverb, " He is an ill chiel whom dogs and 
bairns dinna love,'' and there is, perhaps, a good deal 
of truth in this as in many other common sayings. 
Maxy Hammond had a marked power of attaching ani- 
mals to himself. His generous eye and countenance 
enlisted their sympathies ; they felt at once his kind 
nature, and returned it with the fullest confidence. This 
extended even to birds, of which he always had one or 
two ; usually a bullfinch ; taking them out with him even 
on these long voyages. Boxer was a bull-terrier, who was 
never absent from him, and on this occasion of his first 
voyage, from a doubt as to dogs being allowed on board, 
he was left behind. AVhen the ship lay in the ofiing, and 
Maxy put off to her wdth his luggage in a small boat, 
Boxer was not permitted to accompany him ; and, finding 
that the boat did not return, he manifested the most 
extreme emotion, running eagerly along the beach, and 
jumping into various boats in the hope of getting off to 
his master. He was brought back with us to our home, but 
after remaining with us for some considerable time it was 



EARLY DAYS. 17 

evident that his grief was deep-seated. He refused liis 
food, pined away, became very thin, and, in short, was so 
miserable, that we resolved to send him out to Canada. 
Tlie first opportunity, therefore, was taken, and he was 
sent under the care of another officer of the Rifles. On 
reaching Halifax, and being restored to his master, Boxer's 
joy was unbounded : a violent reaction took place ; and 
he became so immoderately fat that it amounted to de- 
formity. Every moans failed to reduce him, and poor 
Boxer's fidelity led at length to his death. 



1 8 FOREST SCENES. 



CHAPTER IL 

Jfomt Bmm. 

** Hidden in the alder bushes, 
There he waited till the deer came; 
Till he saw two antlers lifted, 
Saw two eyes look from the thicket, 
Saw two nostrils point to windward, 
And a deer came down the pathway 
Fleck'd with leafy light and shadow." 

Hiawatha. 

After Maxy Hammond's arrival at Halifax, his time, 
during the first two years, was passed much as it had been 
in England ; pleasure and amusement was the great ob- 
ject of his life. Writing on the 2d of September 1842, 
he says : — 

*'You can't think how I enjoy your accounts of all 

the gaieties, cricket matches, races, balls, &c We 

are still at George's Island. I went out the other day part- 
ridge shooting, with* * * and « * *. We started at five ; 
rowed to the Indian camp, and having got an Indian to 
go with us, went into the woods. We soon came to a lake, 
where we saw some very large trout ; * * * fished for them 
for some time, but did not succeed in catching anything; 
we then came to another lake, where we saw some part 



SHOOTING PAETIES. 19 

ridges ; * * * and myself shot one. After this we found 
nothing for some hours, but at last * * * shot two more, 
which closed our day's sport. We passed through a track of 
ground called the ' Barrens,' where there are no trees ; 
here we tracked a bear, and soon after a moose. I saw a 
hare with a huge snake after it. I am going out moose- 
hunting, about thirty miles from here, the week after 
next, which I expect will be much finer sport. I take two 
Indians, and we shall stay about a week in the woods. . . . 
AVe are now hard at work at drill, and I think that when 
the men get their new clothing and caps, they will look 
nearly as well as the service companies." 

A few days later, he says : — 

" Our winter has begun pretty severely ; but the cold 
has hitherto been nothing more than in England; as 

yet the sleighing has not been good We have 

now nearly all got horses. I still continue to think 
this the stupidest place in the world ; the people are not 
the least civil to us, and do not seem to shew any desire 
to become acquainted with us ; but what can't be cured 
must be endured. The shooting is now nearly over, and 
there is no amusement of any sort." 

In some letters of this date, he says : — 

" To-day is the first day of Halifax races, an event of no 
small importance here; we muster about six horses for 
it, among which is that well-known horse ' Who'd-have- 
th ought-it,' the property of * * *. He is going to rido 
for the hurdle-race, and I think stands a good chance 
of winning We had a regatta licre last Tuesday, 



20 FOREST SCENES. 

which Avas great fun. I sailed my boat ; but succeeded 
only in coming in fourth. However, I had the satisfac- 
tion of beating some very good boats. M * * * won 
the prize with his schooner, which is a beautiful boat. 
. . . , A dreadful accident happened to an officer of the 
— th yesterday. He was out tracking moose, and came 
to a small brook that he wanted to cross ; so he carelessly 
placed the butt of his gun against a tree to support him- 
self, luith the muzzle in his hands. The gun went off, and 
the ball entered the palm of his hand, passed through and 
shattered the bones of his wrist, and came out half-way 
from the elbow. The poor fellow was by himself, and 
about fifteen miles from home. All the sleighs are 
driving about. There is a tandem club, which most of the 
officers in garrison belong to. I do not myself; but I 
have got a nice little sleigh that holds two people." 

A brother officer and intimate friend of these earlier 
years, says of him at this time: "He joined in all the 
amusements and sports incidental to military life; and it 
was always remarked of him, that to whatever object he 
directed his attention, to it he devoted the whole of his 
energies, with a zeal and earnestness that became the 
leading features of his after life. He always appeared to 
be alive to the reality of life and the necessity of action in 
whatever he was engaged." 

The pursuit which just now seemed to give him the 
greatest zest and enjoyment was moose-hunting. His 
active and athletic frame, and his sj^irit of enterprise, 
fitted him especially for a sport in which the Eed 
Indian needs all his subtle acuteness of sense, his keen 



MOOSE HUNTING. 21 

eye, his liglit foot, his quick ear, his power of endurance, 
to cope with the instinctive sagacity of one of the most 
wary of the deer tribe. With some brother officer for 
a companion, or alone, attended by his faithful old 
Indian, Joe Coape, the hunting party would set out; 
tracing the forests and desolate barrens ; camping at night 
under the giant hemlocks; and sleeping, with their feet 
towards the bivouac fire, upon beds of aromatic spruce 
branches. He loved the stately grandeur of those northern 
forests, strewn with huge fragments of rock; a perfect 
network of trunks ; across whose fallen forms cushions of 
moss and lichens formed a treacherous carpet, the favourite 
bed of the sweet pyrola and the trailing linnsea; the whole 
was thoroughly congenial to him. During his novitiate 
in this sport he describes one of these excursions: — 

"VJth October. 
" I have been mo6se-hunting again, and with not much 
better success. I determined to go alone, and took three 
Indians. We started off about twenty miles from here, 
and then struck into the woods. The first night we called, 
but heard no moose ; the second morning I was awakened 
by one of the Indians pushing me, and saying, ' Moose 
coming.' I jumped up and listened, and soon heard him 
coming through the wood; breaking the branches with 
his horns, and answering us. T^vo of the Indians then 
beckoned to me to follow them. We laid down by tlie 
side of a narrow bog. The moose came nearer and nearer, 
but I could not see him for the grass; at last the Indian 
said, ' Moose smell us, shoot, shoot,' so up I jumped and 
took a hurried shot at his head, and actually missed him I 



22 FOREST SCENES. 

One of the Indians then fired and missed; and I had the 
infinite satisfaction of seeing him bound off into the wood 
again, untouched. I was furious at missing him; but 
you won't know till you have tried what it is to shoot at 
a moose. I was so nervous that I ahnost forgot myself, 
and the Indian made me in ore so, by hurrying me to 
shoot. He was a very large one, with uncommonly fine 
horns. After this misfortune, we eat our breakfast, and 
then went on further. Suddenly one of the Indians 
stopped, ' I hear moose.' I listened very attentively, but 
could not hear a sound. He said, ' There 's bull and cows 
— we try shoot.' We took our packs off and followed 
them a little way, and soon heard them distinctly, and 
then we commenced creeping. I could now see the 
branches moving where the moose were, but could not 
see them, it was so thick; at last the Indian raised his 
gun and fired : I rushed forward, and passed an enormous 
brute kicking on the ground, but the cows had run off, 
and it was so thick I could not see to get a shot. I stayed 
out four nights longer, but we had no luck, and I went 
home. I shall not go out again till the first snow, when 

there are plenty of cariboo as well People say 

Halifax is the best quarter out of England. I thhik it 
detestable in every respect. I have not been out once 
since I have been here. I want you or E * * * to look 
out for me a couple of hard-working spaniels, as they are 
the only dogs that are of any use. There is a fair sprink- 
ling: of woodcocks." 

About two years later, while on one of these hunting 
expeditions, two incidents occurred which made a deep 



illKess in the woods. 



23 



and permanent impression on Maxy Hammond's mind; 
the dawn indeed of those convictions which, at a not 
much later period, by the blessed work of the Holy Spirit, 
led to the ' bringing in of a better hope/ 

These two incidents are thus described by a brother officer 
who was Maxy Hammond's companion : " I was attacked by 
a violent malady, incidental to the swampy and unhealthy 
districts to which our sporting propensities had attracted 
us, and being far beyond any medical assistance, I naturally 
caused a good deal of anxiety, and no little alarm to my 
fellow-sportsmen. There was no alternative. We had to 
halt on the ground, and send one of our party some 200 
miles for advice, and allow the fever to run its course. 
The utter helplessness of my condition, the solitude of the 
woods, the unavaiUng efforts of my companions to relieve 
me, appear to have exercised a great effect on Hammond; 
and in a conversation I had with him years afterwards, I 
found that the impression caused by that illness in the 

silent woods, had never entirely left his mind At 

the time, I would not allow my sufferings to interfere with 
the sports of my companions: and as watching for game 
by night was a great part of the sport, I used to be left at 
three°o'clock in the afternoon, to allow them to get to a 
distance from our camp before night-fall, and they seldom 
returned before twelve o'clock; thus leaving me alone 
till assistance came by the woodman whom we had de- 
spatched. He, poor fellow, travelled day and night, and 
never rested until he had returned with such medicines as 
a doctor could recommend for a patient he could never 
see. In after days, I was enabled, personally, to repay that 
debt of gratitude. It was in reference to one of these 



2-l! FOREST SCENES. 

dreary nights, and in a conversation I had with Hammond, 
at a future period, that he earnestly, but most feelingly, 
expressed to me his desire that I should not let such a 
warning pass. He himself had a very narrow escape of 
his life in crossing a torrent with a very heavy load of 
moose-meat, upon a single tree, accidentally fallen across 
the stream. He lost his balance, and had not a hanging 
branch arrested his fall, though nearly breaking his leg, 
his fate was inevitabb ; and all present looked upon his 
destruction as certain. The fallen branch merely held on 
long enough to allow the Indians to come to his rescue ; 
when it gave way, and fell into the torrent below. The 
very insignificance of the means of rescue left a deeper 
impression ; and from that time he dated his determined 
seizure of the means of escape for himself from a greater 
if not so apparent a danger." 



CONVEliblON. 25 



CHAPTER III. 

*' He was the Freeman wliom the Truth made free : 
Who burst the bonds of sin ; and for his soul 
In spite of fools consulted seriously : 
In spite of fashion, persevered in good : 
Who did as Reason, not as Fancy bade: 
Who heard Temptation sing, and yet turn'd not 
Aside; saw Sin bedeck her flow'ry bed. 
And yet would not go up ; seeking one thing 
Alone, the approbation of his God. 
A heart by Grod's renewing spirit touched, 
A Christian heart awaked from sleep of sin, 
A soldier, listed in Messiah's band. " 

Pollok's Course of Time. 

Hitherto, in the bustle and gaiety of a garrison, Ham- 
mond had had no difficulty in passing his time from day 
to day, if not with satisfaction, at least with unconcern. 
But it was not to be so long. Already the events above 
related had made a strong impression. There was an 
imsatisfied feehng, a longing after happiness stealing over 
him, which the excitements of this life will not, cannot 
bring. Like the wise man, he had said in heart : " Go to, 
I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure; and, 
behold, this also is vanity." Now a new voice staiiles 



26 CONVEKSION. 

him, strange indeed to his car and imperfectly heard, but 
yet unquestionable in its still and solemn pleading, " Be- 
hold, I stand at the door and knock/' The Spirit was 
commencing in his heart a new and a blessed work ; con- 
viction had begun; "There was a noise, and behold a 
shaking, and he said unto me, Son of man, can these 
bones live ? " 

The year 1 844* was to be a memorable one in Maxy Ham- 
mond's history. His outward life went on as usual. But 
in the altered tone of his letters, we can now, for the first 
time, trace signs of a coming change. 

' On the 2d of November, he writes to his father from 
Halifax : — 

"I am sorry to find, on reckoning up my bills, that 
they amount to more than I can pay ; and although I have 
for some months been trying to retrench, by selling my 
horse and giving up various amusements and expenses, 
yet I find that I am at last obliged to come to you for 
assistance. Sorry as I am to be obliged to write on such 
a subject, yet I know that it is my duty to make a full 
confession, and that you would not wish me to do other- 
wise You don't know what pain it gives me to send 

home such a letter as this, especially after the kindness you 
have always shewn me ; but / will pledge my word that I 
will, for the future, to the utmost of my power, strive to live 
with economy and prudence. I have been for the last 
three months living at no expense whatever, and I am 
fully determined to continue in the same way. You may 
depend upon it that it shall be my constant endeavour to 
prevent giving cause for reproof All I can now do is to 



CONVICTION. 27 

ask your forgiveness, and to trust that you will believe in 
my sorrow for my foolish extravagance/' 

In after years, when referring to the great change which 
took place in him while at Halifax, he said he thought 
that his debts, and the compunctions he felt on that ac- 
count, were among the first glimmerings of conviction that 
dawned upon him. The next letter will shew that fear 
had no part in tliis last appeal to a father, whose whole 
life had been one of unvaried kindness and affection to 
his children : — 

" Many many thanks, my dear father, for your most kind 
and welcome answer to my letter, for which I am truly 
grateful. It was with great reluctance that I fomid my- 
self obliged to ask you for assistance, but I thought it 
better to do so than to struggle on making up my arrears. 
You don't know what a weight is now off my mind, or 
how happy your kind letter made me; and now I am 
resolved to make amends for my past extravagance by my 
future economy; and that this shall be a lesson and a 
warning to me which I will not forget. Your offer of 
uniforms are most kind, and I can hardly thank you suffi- 
ciently. I shall ask for leave next year, as I am begin- 
ning to get rather home-sick, and proportionately tired of 
blue-noses: but after all it is not fair to grumhle, as I 
really like this place very well, so that I shall be happy to 
remain here for some time. The bishop is very civil to 

us, and they are very nice people And now I am 

going to relate to you a death, which is that of my 
nearest relation on this side the Atlantic, poor Boxer. 
He had grown so fat that it was feared he would share 



28 CONVERSION. 

the fate of M. Vieux Bois's horse, if he was allovrecl to 
live; he was so fat that he could hardly walk; his diet 
was reduced to half a pint of milk every other day, but to 
no i^urpose ; he grew fatter and more fat, until at last he 
was unceremoniously condemned to death. I shot another 
moose last month, &c. &c. We had a very enjoyable fish- 
ing expedition, I hooked two salmon, but, breaking the 
tackle, they both got away; * * * caught one of 15 lbs. 

and one of 7i lbs I am now a gentleman at large, 

having given up the situation of quarter-master; I have 
been doing duty as adjutant ever since last July, and 
am rather loth to give it up. However, there is the satis- 
faction of knowing that I have learned more of my pro- 
fession than I should have done in five years' ordinary 
duty as a subaltern. But I cannot complain when my time 
is up.'" 

These last letters are written in a strain very different 
from those which have preceded them; and the way in 
which he speaks of Halifax and its society now, as con- 
trasted with his impressions two years before, is not alto- 
gether without significance. He was beginning to seek 
after that which he afterwards, through grace, most fully 
attained — " in whatever state he was, therewith to be con- 
tent." His interest in his profession was also increasing. 
He had held two temporary appointments of responsibility 
in his regiment, and in a letter of 16th July 1844, he 
adverts with evident pleasure to regimental duties in the 
field. He says : — 

" The only news I know of is a capital sham-fight we 
had last week, in which the 2d battalion were signally 




FIELD-DAYS. 29 

defeated by the reserve ; * * * had prepared some irre- 
gular cavalry, consisting of our men dressed in smock 
frocks, with a belt round the waist, and each carrying a lance, 
who behaved most valiantly; actually charging right up 
to the squares, and one horse got pricked by one of the 
swords. The worst of it was, that they were invincible, 
and though always repulsed, they were at you again. 
Subjoined is a plan of the attack."* (This plan, rudely 
illustrated in his letter, shews at the same time, that he 
had not allowed his Sandhurst acquirements to slip away.) 
. , . . " Next Monday," he continues, " we shall have a 
great display, and wind up with a lunch in the mess-rooms. 
* * * is going home immediately on leave. I am to 
have charge of his company, which will by no means be 
disagreeable, .... and, besides, I like to have something 
to do." 

His next letter is to his sister : — 

"December 2, 1844. 

" Our usual fortnightly correspondence must soon cease, 
as we have only one packet out this month. I must here 
confess my own selfishness, but if you knew with what 
difficulty I write even one short letter, you would easily 
imagine it. I always wish (secretly) that we had one 
l^acket home and two out; but you must think me a most 
selfish and ungrateful boy, and so I am, viz., in the greedi- 
ness with which I seize on my letters, and the reluctance 
with which I sit down for an hour to answer them. I 
have felt much happier for the last few weeks, as I have 
begun a regular course of reading, of which I find the 
benefit more and more every day; instead of the time 



so CONVERSION. 

passing slowly and heavily, I only regret that it passes so 
quickly. I generally find every day that I have not done 
half what I intended. I have also got into a habit of get- 
ting up early, which I find invaluable : a quarter past seven 
is my hour for jumping out of bed; which, though difficult 
at first in this cold climate, I have succeeded in over- 
coming; this gives me an hour good before breakfast 
for reading, &c. . . . How I long to be with you all at 
Christmas, but it is no use thinking of these things when 
they are impossible. I am sure I ought to feel most 
thankful for having such kind friends as L * * * and 
Mrs L * * *. I wish you could know them; they are 
all kindness and good nature to us, and have no other 

object but that of doing good to others We have 

had the most beautiful winter here that has been known 
for twenty years. Fancy a sky without a cloud, a warm 
sun, the thermometer at 15° or 20°, with dry hard ground 
without snow to walk upon, and you have before you the 
beauties of a blue-nose winter, of which we have had 
nothing else yet. But fancy a dark, black day, a stormy 
northerly wind, no sun, and the thermometer at 0°, up to 
your knees in snow, and drifting so that you can hardly 
see a yard before you, with your nose and chin in danger 
of being frost-bitten, and you have the dark side of the 
picture. This is all to be expected. ... I am at present 
living out of my, room, having giv-en it up to my friend 
* * *, who is very ill." 

We have now reached the great, the all-important epoch 
of his life. That crisis was rapidly approaching, incalcu- 
lably solemn in its import, when his future character was 



APPROACHING CHANGE. SI 

to be decided. "A variety of circumstances," says a 
brother officer, before quoted, "appears to have uro-ed 
upon his notice the impossibility of human efforts alone 
to attain to a state of happiness, for which he had long 
felt an earnest desire." He had already begun to forsake 
the noise and late hours of his mess companions for the 
retirement of his own room, and his changed habits had 
not escaped their observation. At this time an officer, 
then a captain in the regiment, whose consistent and 
earnest Christian character had long been well known, 
returned from England with his young wife, and they be- 
came the honoured instruments, in God's hand, of leading 
Maxy to the knowledge of his Saviour. Arriving at 
Halifax, he found that there were in the regiment those, 
whose steadier habits seemed to hold out a good hope 
that they might receive the word with gladness; and 
among them was Maxy Hammond. He was at this time 
in the heyday of his youth — his figure was tall, his face 
handsome, and his countenance was singularly bright and 
prepossessing. The officer alluded to thus describes him: 
*' He was the most popular man in the regiment, and a 
great favourite in general society. He had never known 
sorrow, but he felt the unsatisfactory nature of his life, 
without God and without Christ, and he yearned for some- 
thing better. I can see him now," he goes on to say, 
"followed by his favourite 'Smut' (if not by a second 
bull-dog) through the streets of Halifax, where we met him, 
and I first introduced him to N * * *. He was said to 
be among the steady ones at that period; and, with the 
faint hojoe that he might be induced to listen to the truth, 
we invited him to come and drink tea, and read the Bible 



32 co^^VERSION. 

afterwards. On the niglit in question he v/as in the woods 
moose-hunting; but, almost beyond our hopes, he made 
his appearance the next Saturday evening, and joined with 
us in searching the Scriptures." 

Maxy Hammond's part was now taken; there was no 
hesitation which to choose; of him no one could say, 
'' How long halt ye between two opinions ? If the Lord 
be God, follow him ; but if Baal, then follow him.'' Hence- 
forth the Lord was his portion. On the 17th December 
184^4, he begins a letter to his father. " There was joy in 
the presence of the angels of God" when that letter was 
written. It was the open avowal of one who was first re- 
joicing in the hope set before him. He fills a page with 
general topics, and then abruptly says : — 

" It is now nearly Christmas, and I can hardly believe 
that this will be the third that I have passed in America. 
But I feel happier now than I have ever before ; and al- 
though I should like, above all things, to spend Christmas 
at home, I feel that I shall enjoy it here very much. And 
now I must tell you the cause of my happiness. Last 
October, towards the end of it, I found on my return from 
a moosing-expedition a note from L « * *, who, with his 
usual kindness, wished, if he possibly could, to be the 
means of doing some good to us. The note contained a 
most kind and friendly invitation to go up to his house, 
which I will here copy. ' Dear Hammond, — We purpose 
devoting an hour on Saturday evening to reading the Bible 
with J***r***, and if you will join our party 
after mess, it would give us great pleasure. At the same 
time, I would not wish you even to send an answer to this. 



SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURE. 33 

should you not feel inclined ; or, if you should feel disposed 
to come to us this evening, that you should consider your- 
self the least tied to do so the following Saturday. AVe 
feel the value and comfort of these things, and we would 
gladly share them with you : I shall write a note to * * * 
to the same effect." I received this note just as I came 
back, but it was so late that I could not go that Saturday ; 
however the next week I summoned up resolution, and in 
fear and trembling went. I did not much like it the first 
night, as I then found my utter ignorance of the Bible, 
which (shocking as it is to think of) I do not mind con- 
fessing to you, I had scarcely ever looked into for years ; 
and, when I had, it was merely from a feeling of duty and 
compulsion, and as a sort of ' lull ' to my sinful conscience. 
I then began to read every morning and evening iii my 
own room, and to write notes on the most striking pas- 
sages; which I found of great assistance. This awakened 
my conscience ; and by earnest prayer to God, He at length 
opened to me my awfully sinful state, and shewed me the 
sinfulness and corruption of my heart. Every day shews 
me more and more my own natural weakness and inherent 
depravity, and makes me feel the necessity of trusting in 
myself for nothing, but constantly to seek God's assistance, 
without which, I should fall back into my former state 
of sin. Oh ! how I bless God for His mercy in having 
brought me to a sense of my awful state. I may now, 
through God's assistance and mercy, be enabled to pass 
the remainder of my days in His fear and love; and so be 
rendered fit for eternal happiness when I die. But before 
this, I had been rushing headlong to my own destruction; 
and should inevitably have fallen but for God's loving-kind- 

o 



34 CONVERSION. 

ness and mercy. I received the sacrament a few Sundays 
ago for the first time since I joined the regiment. I hesi- 
tated for some time whether I thought myself worthy or 
not, and at length made up my mind to take it: my feel- 
ings then I cannot describe ; but I was deeply impressed 
with the solemnity and importance of this blessed ordi- 
nance, and afterwards experienced a comfort which I had 
never till then known. I shudder to think how awfully I 
have sinned in receiving it unworthily at home, merely 
because I was afraid to decline doing so to you. But I 
never then knew what danger I was incurring, and how I 
was provoking God's anger against me. You will be as- 
tonished at my writing such a letter as this, especially after 
beginning it on such trifling subjects ; but I did not then 
intend to confess what I have now done. I daresay I have 
written great nonsense, but you must forgive me, as I can- 
not express on paper what I feel ; but be assured, dear 
father, that I am sincere in what I have said. Our parties 
at L * * *'s are more delightful every time, and we de- 
rive great comfort and instruction from them. Our circle 
consists of five persons. We read a portion of some chap- 
ter, and afterwards comment upon it, and join in general 
conversation. We also read a chapter every night in one 
of our rooms, which is most enjoyable. You may read 
this letter publicly or not as you like. I wish to conceal 
nothing from any one ; and now I shall wait, longing for 
your answer to this. — Believe me, ever your most affec- 
tionate son, M. M. Hammond." 

In connexion with this letter and the new birth, the 
great change, which Maxy had undergone, we may appro- 



EEGENERATION. 35 

priately introduce an extract from his commentary on Eph. 
ii. 10, written several years later. He says : " The heart 
being evil, out of it proceed only evil thoughts and sinhd 
practices. Hence the necessity of that mighty change 
which is wrought in the believer by the Spirit of God. 
The heart being renewed by Divine grace, and created 
anew by Christ Jesus unto holiness, good works follow, 
as the natural result. And this is according to the pur- 
pose of God, who hath predestinated His own people to 
be conformed to the image of His Son. It is good to 
be reminded of what we were by nature, and what we 
have become by the free and sovereign grace of God. By 
nature, ' Gentiles in the flesh,' spiritually ' un circumcised/ 
' without Christ," being ' aliens from the commonwealth of 
Israel,' separated from the family of God, ' strangers from 
the covenant of promise,' ' having no hope, and without 
God in the world; ' but now, by grace ' made nigh by the 
blood of Christ.' The blood of Christ, sprinkled upon the 
conscience, received by faith, and applied by the Holy 
Spirit, removes guilt, softens the heart, brings the soul 
into covenant with God, and brings reconciliation, pardon, 
and peace." And again, on Eph. ii. 19, he says: "Once 
I was far off" from God — His enemy by wicked works — a 
stranger to His grace, ' His ways, and His people — a 
foreigner in His dominion, having no claim to the title 
of a subject; but now, through abounding mercy, how 
great is the change ! The alien is become a citizen — the 
foreigner a free subject — numbered with the household 
and family of God— partaker of all the glorious privileges 
and hopes of the gospel." 

The Saturday evenings at Captain L * * * 's quarters 



36 CONVERSION. 

became now stated periods for reading the Scriptures and 
for prayer. Three or four officers of the regiment, and 
one or two others belonging to the garrison, in process 
of time, joined; and at these happy assemblies Captain 
L * * * and his wife received with joy those young 
searchers after the truth, " and expounded unto them the 
way of God more perfectly.'" 

Of the early meetings, Mrs L * * * writes thus : 
"The person in whom I am most interested is young 
Mr Hammond. His mind is so honest, his disposition 
so frank and open, his character so firm and decided. 
He is no sooner convinced of the truth than he em- 
braces it, owns it before all the world, and resolutely acts 

up to it You will be glad to hear how well our 

Saturday evening went off; Mr Hammond talked and 
asked questions with great animation: he found many 
references on prayer; dwelt on the freeness of our access 
to God, its privileges, and the happiness of receiving 
blessings in answer to our prayers. In the course of con- 
versation the text was quoted, ' He that saveth a soul from 
death, shall hide a multitude of sins,' and the two young 
gentlemen seemed quite astonished when A * * * alluded 
to the idea of ' hiding sins,' meaning ' our own sins being 
passed over,' as not correct : also that ' charity covereth a 
multitude of sins,' did not mean that our own sins should 
be forgiven if we were charitable. Mr Hammond looked up 
with his open, noble countenance, all wonder and inquiry : 
* Well, doesn't it mean that?' A * « * explained what is 
evidently the correct meaning, and Mr Hammond ex- 
claimed, ' Well, to be sure, I wonder I did not see.' A * * * 



SATURDAY READINGS. 87 

laughed, and said he had heard the text used in the other 
sense often enough, when he went into the mess-room to 
get a subscription: 'Oh, charity covers a multitude of 
sins ; put me down five dollars ! ' They laughed heartily, 
at the recollection probably of how^ often they had said the 
same. In speaking of the 'strait' gate, it struck them for 
the first time, that 'strait' meant 'narrow,' not the con- 
trary of crooked. The following Saturday, November 9 th, 
both Mr Hammond and Mr * # * talked more, and 
seemed even more earnest. Mr Hammond said that one 
morning while out with the troops, he felt very much 
out of spirits. He met Captain F * * *, whose remark- 
able change had made an impression on the most thought- 
less, and told him he felt very miserable. Captain F * * * 
replied, ' Oh ! I am sorry you are miserable, I am always 
happy nowT Mr Hammond said he went home, and 
thought there must be something in religion, if it could 
make a man aliuays happy; I said it was indeed a great 
proof of its reality and power ; he said, ' Yes, and when 
people will confess it too in conversation.' I am sure the 
noise they all made when they went, might have convinced 
any one that our serious conversation had not had a very 
bad effect on their spirits." 

In another letter, the same writer says : — 
"A little while ago, Mr Hammond told us it was 
quite impossible he could ever get up early in the morning. 
He acknowledged the value of a quiet hour before break- 
fast, and that he was liable to be interrupted all the rest of 
the day: but get up early he was certain Jie never could. 



38 CONVERSION. 

A * * * said, * When you have a motive strong enough you 
will find you can \ and last Saturday he told us that, for 
several months, he had risen at seven, cold and dark as it is. 
We congratulated him, and he laughed ; and said, ' I assure 
you when I turn out at seven, I am astonished at myself.' 
Mr Hammond had made an engagement to go out moose- 
hunting for a fortnight; but now he wants to get off: 
'not," he says, 'that I do not enjoy the woods; but hunting 
on Sunday is out of the question ; and, besides, it is a long 
time to sjDend in idleness/ Neither A * * * nor * * * 
have ever urged Mr Hammond or Mr # * * to give 
up anything of worldly amusement ; and the subject is 
never mentioned, except when introduced by the young 
men themselves; and then A * * * tells them to give 
nothing up till they can see their way clearly ; till they know 
why, and for what they are giving it up. We had a most 
happy evening last Saturday. I am sure no one who ever 
saw our little band, could ever again dare to say, that 
rehgion is a gloomy thing. Captain W * * * says, 
that he has now, for the first time, a faint idea of what 
happiness is. Mr Hammond comes in with a counte- 
nance perfectly radiant, and many a hearty laugh we have 
together. The other day when the ladies dined at the 
mess, poor Mr Hammond got sadly bullied ; they happened 
to hear him say that h^ should give up smoking, and this 
formed the signal for attack Many unkind and cutting 
things were said, and he is a person to feel it deej)ly ; but 
his is a most unflinching spirit. He told A * * * after- 
wards, that when he went to his room he found greater 
comfort in prayer, than he had ever done before; and 



EARLY TRIALS. 99 

added, that he ought to rejoice in being able to suffer 
anything for Christ's sake. You know I always admire 
firmness and manliness of character, and to find it in one so 
young, and united to so much gentleness and humility, is 
very beautiful. He is indeed a devoted young Christian, 
and his one desire seems that his tongue and his pen, his 
heart and his head, should be given to liis Master's 
service." 



40 CHANGED HABITS. 



CHAPTER IV. 



" Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,**— 
2 Cor. v. 17. 

Heee then in Halifax, among the deadening influences of 
a garrison life, as at Corinth or at Ephesus in the early 
morning of Christianity, a little Church was forming: a 
brotherhood marked by one especial feature common to 
the Church of old — the inseparable signet of every one that 
is born of God, love to each other — " They knew that they 
had passed from death unto life, because they loved the 
brethren ;" and of these there was one whose heart, bound 
up with him in Christ, was knitted to Maxy's with a love 
like that of David's toward Jonathan ; of whom it might 
be truly said, " There is a friend that sticketh closer than 
a brother." Of these pleasant days that friend and brother 
writes : — 

''October 29th, 1855. 

" I think it was towards the end of 1 8-44<, I recollect the 
day, a very, very bright one, when Colonel (then Captain) 
L * * * told me that he and his wife had written a note 
to Hammond and * * *, requesting them to come to his 



LEAENING AND TEACHING. 41. 

house on Saturday evening after mess, and converse over 
a portion of Scripture with prayer. I may state that 
L * * * and I, previous to his marriage, had been in the 
habit of thus meeting; and now, much to my delight, I 
found that his marriage was not to be a hindrance to a 
renewal, on a larger scale, of our little reunion. They all 
agreed to come; and continued to do so, unless prevented 
by duty or some other urgent cause. Very shortly these 
simple, yet powerful means began to tell on their hearts 
and consciences, and their conversation began gradually to 
change. Very soon we all four got into the same staircase 
in barracks, and I have a lively recollection of dearest 
Hammond coming to my room, with difficulties about texts 
of Scripture in regard to the communion. * * *'s room 
was next to mine; and for some weeks we met every night 
in his room, reading the Word, searching it as a new book, 
as it were opened now for the first time in their lives. 
At this time a lady gave him M'Cheyne's Memoir to read, 
and he and W * * * were deeply impressed by it. 
About this time, also, a garrison Sunday School for the 
soldiers was in operation, under the superintendence of Dr 
T * * *, the garrison chaplain; assisted by officers be- 
longing to different regiments, as well as to the civil 
branches of the service. We used to meet in the week- 
day with Dr T * « *, at the Ordnance Office, tor some 
study of the lesson of the following Sunday. Our young 
recruits joined and gave their assistance, being taught and 
watered themselves whilst teaching others. Some Chris- 
tian families in the town, belonging to Mr C * * *'s 
congregation, had also a Wednesday evening, at each 
other's house alternately, of a very instructive and re- 



42 CHANGED HABITS. 

freshing kind; very useful to Christian officers, who were 
thus, at once, introduced to religious friends. These were, 
indeed, four bright, happy, and useful years spent in 
Halifax; when the Spirit came down in many places in 
the town, and from time to time we knew of souls being 

added to Christ, in the garrison and without it 

From the outset of his religious course, Hammond was 
always clear and decided ; there was no doubt who was his 
Master. His light began very soon to shine brightly. 
Indeed, the change was so striking, so marked, so very real, 
that often when my mind has been in doubts, and fears, 
and misgivings, I had only to turn to this living example 
daily before me, and I no longer doubted of the truth of 
a change of heart and life wrought by the Spirit of God." 

An instance of the heartiness with which Maxy Ham- 
mond threw himself into the practical duties of the new 
life upon which he had just entered, is related in the 
following extract from the letter of an officer: "The 
Sunday School, of which I spoke, was intended for the 
soldiers of the various regiments in the garrison of Halifax, 
and was held in a large room within the barracks. Ham- 
mond, with several officers of the Rifle Brigade, and a few 
more belonging to the garrison, occupied themselves in 
teaching classes. About this period an order was issued 
prohibiting officers, in the Rifle Brigade, from instructing 
their men as they had been doing: in the mistaken idea, I 
believe, that it would cause too much familiarity among 
officers and men. Those who had the privilege of teaching 
in the same school will remember the deep grief which the 
order caused to Maxy Hammond, when deprived of the 



THE HAPPY CHAEACTEE OF HIS CONVERSION. 43 

work in which he took so much delight. Nor will the 
remark be forgotten which he made, after the prohibition 
to teach : ' Well/ he said, ' if I must not teach, I suppose 
there is no order to prevent my learning;' and, accord- 
ingly, he sat down at one end of the form on which some 
of his own men and others were seated, and listened to the 
teaching of one whose position should have been at his 
feet." 

In various ways and at various times, it pleases the 
Lord to call into His fold one and another of His people. 
And, next to the immediate instrumentality of His Word, 
perhaps no means is so commonly used as some afflictive 
dispensation. Long wanderings through the wilderness, 
bitter draughts at the fountain of Mara, are the portion of 
many before they find " light in the evening time." But 
it was not thus with Maxy Hammond. In the summer 
of his life he listened to the voice of the Beloved—" Else 
up, my love, and come away ; for lo ! the winter is past, 
the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, 
and the time of the singing of birds is come." He loved 
to dwell on this himself. He was drawn with the bands 
of love. 

Speaking of her happy acquaintance with him, a lady 
says: "I shall never forget him, or the impression he 
left upon me ; so earnest, so single-minded, so very lovely 
in manner and expression, and such deep, devoted love 
to the Saviour and His cause. He recalled M'Cheyne; 
breathing the very spirit of holiness. I remember so well 
one day his sitting with me at Belmont, near Quebec, and 
speaking of the trials and joys of young converts, his 
whole face beaming with bright expression, he drew my 



44 CHANGED HABITS. 

attention to that passao-e in Deut. xxiv. 5 : ' When a man 
hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither 
shall he be charged with any business ; but he shall be 
free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which 
he hath taken.' You cannot think how often his voice 
and words have recurred to me since. His day or year of 
espousals to Christ, was, he said, so bright, so clear a one." 
The first avowal of his new opinions among his old 
friends brought with it its trials. Warmly attached to 
many of his brother officers, he viewed with sorrow and 
anxiety their continuance in the way that leadeth to de- 
struction: 

" Jesus, how my heart is pained. 

How it mourns for souls deceived ; 
When I hear Thy Name profaned. 
When I see Thy Spirit grieved;" — 

and having been mercifully enlightened himself, and having 
tasted of the heavenly gift, he prayed, if it were possible, 
that they should be partakers of his joy. He relates, him- 
self, a conversation with a brother officer, which is very 
interesting — " We were sitting together, and at last I said 
to * * * 'I wonder you never think of the life we are all 
leading.' * * * started up and said, bitterly, ' If yr u are 
going to preach, I m off.' His tone and manner wounded 
my very heart ; but I called him back, telling him, I was 
not going to preach, for I could not. I told him, I meant 
to give up my own ways, that I was much happier reading 
in my own room, than I ever had been drinking and 
smoking with them; I said, I knew I must lose the 
friendship of my old friends, but that I was quite pre- 



THE EEPKOACH OF THE CROSS. 4§ 

pared for. ♦ * * said, 'Oh no, every man has a right to 
his own opinions/ Afterwards, * * * was not only- 
softened, but affected. We parted good friends, but from 
that time he became distant and reserved.'' It was, per- 
haps, owing to what has been characterised, by one who 
spoke of him long afterwards, as " the lofty simjilicity and 
genuine unaffected piety of his character,'' that he was not 
so frequently exposed to scenes of this nature, as might 
have been expected. Still we can quite understand that, 
to his warm and affectionate disposition, such scenes as 
these must have been sore trials. But he had taken up 
the cross, and rejoiced to bear its reproach. 

In a letter to his mother from Halifax, he alludes to 
these trials as well as to the new source of happiness now 
opened to him : — 

" January 2d, ] 845. 
" I often think how ungrateful I have been to you and to 
Father, in neglecting your kind advice, and in having been 
the wilful cause of so much trouble and anxiety to you 
both. I pray to God, that this may never be the case 
again, and that I may make up for my past want of atten- 
tion and ingratitude by my future conduct. I wish you 
could know Mrs L * * * ; she is the sweetest and kindest 
person I ever met with in my life ; I really love her as 
much as a sister. But you may easily imagine what it is 
to meet with a person you can really call a friend, in a 
foreign country, where you meet with nothing but the 
coldness and formality of the world ; we have also re- 
ceived great kindness from several other people, and I see 
more and more every day, what a different kind of friend- 



46 CHANGED HABITS. 

ship this is from that of the world in general. But we 
cannot expect to have our happiness unmixed with annoy- 
ances and indeed sorrow, or to receive it without trials ; 
and you well know, no doubt, that we do not receive any 
encouragement from our brother officers. It is very pain- 
ful to see plainly a reserve and coohiess among many who 
were before our greatest friends; but it is quite impos- 
sible to keep on the same terms of intimacy as before, as 
our tastes and ideas are so opposed, that we cannot associate 
with them as we used. This, certainly, is very painful; 
but when we consider what it is for, it is also very neces- 
sary ; for what sacrifices ought we not to make, if it inter- 
fere in any way with oiu^ duty to our God ? But we may 
still hope and trust to be as great friends as before, though 
not to the same extent. . , . Ever your affectionate son, 

" M. M. Hammond." 

Maxy often alluded to the very great difficulty he experi- 
enced in abandoning the habit of swearing. He used to 
think that nothing could make hun give up this habit. 
But he overcame it ; and once only was he betrayed into 
its commission. And then, when under circumstances of 
great provocation, an oath passed his lips, his remorse 
and humiliation were most poignant. He soon became 
very jealous of his time ; regarding it as a gift to be em- 
ployed in the service of his Master. He was excessively 
fond of music ; and had hitherto frequently spent whole 
afternoons in listening to the band practising ; but this he 
now abandoned. Yet his strong love for music remained 
unchanged. Shortly before leaving England, in 1853, 
when speaking of music, he said that the opera was the 



LOVE OF MUSIC AND HABITS OF PEAYEE. 47 

only worldly amusement whicli had cost him some self- 
denial to give up. " Not/' he added, " that I could en- 
joy it now, were I to go ; for I could not help thinking of 
the evil connected with it." And then he added, with 
much animation, " / always feel that I must wait till 1 
get to heaven, to enjoy music. I often feel a craving for it 
which cannot be satisfied here, and I am sure that the 
love of harmony cannot have been implanted in our natures 
for nothing." 

Speaking afterwards of the change wrought in his whole 
mind by his conversion, he instanced the interest he began 
at once to take in books of general information, history, 
poetry, &c., whereas, he had scarcely before read anything 
except the newspaper. Prescott's " Ferdinand and Isa- 
bella," D'Aubigne's "Reformation," Butler's "Analogy," 
Pollok's " Course of Time," were some of the first books he 
read at Halifax. And the habit of reading books of this 
character, adopted in the first instance from a sense of 
duty, very soon became as attractive as it had previously 
been irksome to him. The natural cast of his mind, in- 
deed, appears to have been remodelled, and fresh habits to 
have been adopted, based upon principles altogether new. 
The responsibility of man, in regard to the use of those 
gifts with which the Creator has endowed him, appears 
to have presented itself now for the first time. Hitherto 
his mind had been lying almost fallow. He perceived 
now the inestimable value of those talents entrusted to 
him ; and he resolved, as far as in him lay, to " redeem 
the time," — to be " watchful, and strengthen those things 
that remained, that were ready to fall." 

The want of sympathy among brother officers before 
spoken of, is, of course, intended to apply in general 



48 CHANGED HABITS. 

terms to the majority of Maxy Hammond's companions. 
His position in the Rifle Brigade at this time was indeed 
one for which he had abundant cause for gratitude. There 
were certainly not less than four or five officers, who, both 
in profession and practice, gave evidence that the love of 
God was uppermost in their hearts ; no small proportion 
in one regiment, at a time when the religious tone of the 
army was very much lower than we have reason to believe 
it is, by God's grace, at present. We should be doing a 
grave injustice to the memory of a good and Christian 
man, now no more, if we omitted to state that in Colonel 
I * * *, at that time in command of the battalion, 
Maxy Hammond, and others similarly circumstanced with 
him, found a most kind and important support. Some 
extracts from a letter of Colonel I * * *'s will also shew 
that the change which Maxy Hammond had undergone, 
had in no ways the effect of deteriorating his colonel's 
former opinion of him. In speaking of him to his father. 
Colonel I * * * says : " I am sensible of the advantage 
and satisfaction derived from his presence with the corps. 
Now that I have known him and had experience of him 
some years, I think it due to j^ou as well as to him to ex- 
press my opinion of him ; more especially as I am given to 
understand that certain reports are in circulation respect- 
ing the religious opinions of some of my officers. Appre- 
hensive that these may reach you, I desire to state how he 
stands in that respect. Some of my officers have been 
reputed to hold extreme opinions, and to exercise a corres- 
ponding extravagance of conduct in regard to religion. 
There are no grounds for any such imputation upon any 
member of the corps. I am anxious, for your son's sake, 



LETTER FKOM COLONEL I * * *. 49 

to assure you that he is free from anything of that kind. 
I have some knowledge of his mind ; and I believe him to 
be actuated by just notions of religion, in strict accordance 
with the doctrines and teaching of the Established Church ; 
and in all respects doing his best endeavour (to use the 
words of our old catechism) to do his duty in that state of 
life to which it has pleased God to call him. That he has 
become more devoutly disposed of late than formerly, is 
most true ; and casual observers may have drawn wrong 
inferences from the fact. But I rejoice, as he himself 
does, in the establishment "within him of a sound principle 

of mental and active life There are people who 

might describe him, as they v/ould other men, who desire 
to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present 
world, otherwise than they are ; but there can be no mis- 
take in the family of a young officer, who in all points 
shews himself to be neither more nor less than what a 
Christian gentleman must needs be, who has any claim to 
the name." 

With some anxiety Maxy Hammond had waited for an 
answer to the letter which announced to his family the 
change that had taken place in him. He writes again to 
his father : — 

''February I, J 845. 
" I sincerely thank you for all your kind letters which 
I received by the last mail. The sympathy and encourage- 
ment from all, were the source of the greatest joy and 
happiness to me, and I feel most grateful. Your kind 
advice as to jDropriety of conduct, and the necessity of 
avoiding everything which might offend or disgust my 

D 



50 CHANGED HABITS. 

brother officers, is most thankfully received. I entirely 
agree with you on this subject. Nothing would pain me 
more than by injudicious conduct to give cause of offence 
or to make anything like a party feeling in the regiment. 
Nobody can feel more than I do the propriety of an unos- 
tentatious religion; particularly when I am such a begin- 
ner in these things. At the same time I feel that my con- 
fession of Christ should be decided. I have desired to 
make no profession; but still it is well known in the 
regiment that I am striving to serve God ; and therefore 
every inconsistency is, and will be, remarked upon. Our 
readings together have been a blessing to me, and were, 
moreover, the means by which God first shewed me the 
state of my heart. I should be very unwilling to give 
them up, and I cannot help thinking that if we search the 
Scriptures in a humble, teachable disposition, we shall have 
God's blessing with us. We are all agreed that these things 
cannot be done too quietly."" 

In the beginning of May he gets leave for a short tour 
through some of the States, in company with a brother 
officer. Describing this trip in a letter dated Jmie 12, 
1845, he says : — 

" The Cambria arrived a day sooner than I expected. 
I had only half packed up ; and had a great many things 
to settle, and barely succeeded in getting ready before she 
was off. In small matters, as well as in great, it is danger- 
ous to put off anything to the last. We left Halifax on 
the 1st of May. * * * was my fellow-traveller, and we 
shared a cabin between us. We passed our Sunday very 
comfortably, the captain reading morning service, and an 



TOUR THEOUGH THE STATES — BOSTON. 51 

excellent sermon of Blunt's. We made the land in tlio 
afternoon, and made fast to the wharf at Boston at nine 
P.M., having made the run of four hundred miles in thirty- 
three hours. Boston is a fine town, quite English ; I sup- 
pose about the size of Bristol. I could hardly fancy my- 
self in a foreign country, but for the peculiar dress, long 
hair, and beards of the people. The hotels are all on the 
French system. We brought with us several letters of 
introduction for different places, one of which produced 
an invitation to tea from a Mr * * ♦, one of the most in- 
fluential men in Boston ; nothing can equal the cordiality 
and friendship with which they received us ; we found them 
particularly nice people. In this country there are no 
dinner-parties, and they meet in this sociable way at tea; 
breaking up at ten o'clock, which I think a very agTeeable 
and sensible custom. I have not room to describe all we 
saw, so must be as brief as possible. The burying-ground, 
Momit Auburn, is a very pretty spot; perfectly natural, 
full of fine trees, and intersected with drives and walks; 
with tombs and monuments in all directions, for the most 
part quite plain and simple. The dockyard is small : we 
saw there a large steam-frigate mounting twenty-two guns, 
and a line-of-battle ship building. We went to see the 
Bunker's Hill Monument, a fine granite obelisk 220 feet 
high, with a good view of the town from the top. The 
State prison was well worth seeing, the cells very clean, 
all the prisoners employed at different trades, as shoe- 
makers, blacksmiths, weavers, upholsterers, &c., each de- 
partment having its separate building; they are not allowed 
to speak to one another ; each has his own cell, where he 
takes his meals and sleeps. The thermometer that day 



52 CHANGED HABITS. 

was 89°; rather sultry. We stayed at Boston two days, 
and went on to New York, where we arrived on the 4th 
of June, and jxit up at an immense hotel, where we sat 
down about one hundred and forty to dinner. New York 
is quite a different description of city from Boston, larger 
and more bustling. Here you see something more of 
the real Yankees, of whom I must give a short descrip- 
tion. To begin with their good qualities. They are very 
civil to strangers, for the most part well informed, good 
men of business, and a remarkably energetic and enter- 
prising set. I believe them to have been much wronged 
and misrepresented by authors, from a national prejudice 
that we 'Britishers' should not condescend to. I am 
sure it makes the whole difference whether a person ctarts 
to travel with a determination to criticise, and be disgusted 
with their peculiarities and oddities; or whether, with a 
more charitable feeling, he goes determined to be pleased 
and to * be to their faults a little blind.' Although I must 
confess I often find myself much disposed to judge by 
comparison, I am inclined to wish to see the best side of 
the picture, and to leave the rest to wiser and more expe- 
rienced heads to determine. In conversation the Yankees 
are very cool and free, using many extraordinary expres- 
sions, which amuse me much. This freedom is not meant 
impertinently, though it might appear so to a stranger. 
One must always recollect that it is a free country, where 
every one thinks as much of himself as his neighbour, and 
therefore you are seldom 'Sir'd,' or spoken to otherwise 
than as an equal. The fact of being a British officer is a 
passport that secures the national civility at all the public 
institutions, and indeed everywhere. Some of the notices 



AMERICAN PECULIARITIES. 53 

and signs amused me much ; such as on the railway, * Look 
out for the locomotive ! ' and over a shop, ' Society for the 
encouragement of wearing clean shirts!' New York is 
not to be compared with London as a city, and very dirty, 
there being no sewers to carry off the dirt; so that in 
front of the best hotels everything is thrown into the 
street, the pigs being the only scavengers. We went over 
a first-rate line-of-battle ship of ninety-two guns, forty- 
two pounders ; not to be compared with our own men-of- 
war in point of neatness and cleanliness, though a very 
fine ship. The armoury was composed of muskets ' taken 
from the English' Very unlike the armoury on board 
the Inconstant. After viewing some more of the lions 
here, we went on to Philadelphia, where we arrived on the 
7th, and put up at a remarkably clean and quiet little 
hotel, with not more than a dozen people in the house. 
We were much pleased with this town, from its quiet and 
cleanliness ; and the trees in all the streets are some shelter 
from the burning heat. While we were there the ther- 
mometer was 96° in the shade; and indoors, in the coolest 
passage, at 93°. The most intolerable part of the heat is 
that the nights are as hot as the days; so that, in the 
morning, after having laid on the outside of the bed all 
night, you awake as little refreshed as if you had never 
been in bed at all. Here we spent our second Sunday, 
and were fortunate enough to hear a sound, faithful ser- 
mon. Their liturgy is the same as ours, with the excep- 
tion of some little alterations and omissions. The Lord's 
Prayer is omitted once or twice. The singing was good : 
the psalms of a different version from ours. The Sabbath 
appeared to be well observed. We went on to Baltimore, 



54i CHANGED HABITS. 

and thence to Washington, the capital and seat of govern- 
ment; well worth seeing. We returned to Philadelphia, 
having been fairly driven out by the heat — 98° in the shade 
— and saw the State prison Dickens spoke so much of. 
The plan is very good, all the passages radiating from the 
centre, so that one keeper could have his eye on the whole 
at once ; all solitary confinement, of different periods, up 
to twenty-one years. And here we are back at New York, 
expecting to go up the Hudson to-morrow to visit the 
Royal Military College of the United States, and thence 
to work on to Niagara, Canada, &c/' 

" NiAGAEA Falls, 2Uh June, 

"We left New York on the 14th and started for West 
Point, where is the Military Academy. We had letters to 
two of the officers of the establishment, who devoted them- 
selves to us ; shewing us and explaining everything with 
the utmost kindness. From having been ourselves at 
Sandhurst we found this very interesting ; and it so hap- 
pened, that we arrived at a very lucky time, during the 
examinations, when all the bigwigs, commander-in-chief, 
&c., were there. We heard some of the examinations, which 
were remarkably good, and made those of Sandhurst appear 
very insignificant. There are about 280 cadets, formed 
into a regular battalion, with captain, subalterns, sergeants, 
and staff, found by the cadets. They have, besides, a com- 
mandant, and a commissioned-officer over each company. 
We were treated like generals. The commandant called on 
us, drove us to see the parade, and we were invited to in- 
spect the battalion. None are admitted under sixteen ; so 
that, on the whole, they are a really fine-looking regiment. 



TOUE THEOUGH THE STATES — WEST POINT, NIAGAEA. 55 

Their dress is a Frencli gray bobtailed coat, cotton belts, 
caps like our new ones, and white trousers. They look 
very well in a body, though very bad singly. They are 
worked hard, having only two months' vacation out of 
the four years they are there ; except two months when 
they are encamped in summer, and practise nothing but 
military duties. Unlike our colleges, they pay nothing; but 
are paid by government enough to find them in everything 
while they are there, and to have an overplus sufiicient 
to pay for their outfit after they leave. West Point was 
Washington's greatest stronghold during the rebellion, by 
which he completely prevented any junction of the British 
between New York and Canada, and where he always 
found his winter quarters. It is therefore a place of which 
the Yankees are not a little proud We went on by Al- 
bany, Utica, Auburn, Eochester, and Bufialo to this place, 
where we arrived on the 20th. It is quite useless my at- 
tempting to describe Niagara. I have hardly yet collected 
my senses. It is divided into two falls, the American and 
the Horse -shoe, with an island between. Their height, 
which is about 160 feet, is not so striking as the immense 
body of water which unceasingly tumbles over. To give 
you an idea of the weight of the falling water, the room 
where I am now sitting is shaking like the vibration of a 
steamer. Yesterday we went through the ordeal of going 
under the great sheet, which nothing but the foolish curio- 
sity of the English would ever tempt one to undertake. 
On arriving close to the Fall, there is such a rush of wind 
and water as almost to knock you down; however, by 
keeping your head down, and going boldly on, you soon 
get through the worst part, and find yom^self 230 feet 



56 CHANGED HABITS. 

imclerneath. Our sable guide stripped us of everything 
except a flannel shirt, and we enjoyed the shower bath 
uncommonly; and that is about all that you get by going 
under. The deep emerald colour in the centre of the 
Horse-shoe Fall, occasioned by the depth of the body of 
water, is unlike anything else in the world. We could not 
help longing that our Transatlantic friends could have 
seen them. I am very much pleased with the tour; but I 
also feel what a blessing were the various opportunities 
and privileges of which I am now deprived. But this 
is a good lesson, to teach us how we should value those 
things while we possess them ; and also that we must 
not lean upon outward ordinances, but that our sole 
trust must be in Him alone v.^ho is able to keep us from 
falling. There are many temptations in travelling which 
are apt to lead us to be too much occupied with the 
things of this world, and so forget God. I need all your 
prayers as well as my own. . . . I am often filled 
with doubts and fears, but I am convinced they are tempta- 
tions of the devil, and the remaining imbelief in my heart. 
May the Lord grant that, in the day when He shall 'make 
up His jewels,' we may be found looking and leaning on 
Jesus as our only hope ! — Ever your affectionate son, 

" M. M. H." 

Tew persons will have read this letter without being- 
struck, no less with the holy Christian spirit of charity, 
than with the wisdom which characterises the comments 
upon the American people and their social peculiarities. 
The wpiter of the letter was scarcely twenty, and his spi- 
ritual life was of hardly a year's growth. Yet is not this 



SPircIT OF CHARITY. 57 

the fulfilling of that law of love which worketh no ill to 
his neio-hbour? Is not this indeed an evidence of that spirit 
of wisdom which " sheweth out of a good conversation his 
works with meekness of wisdom''— the wisdom that is 
from above— "pure, peaceable, and gentle, without par- 
tiahty and without hypocrisy?" 

On his return from this expedition, Maxy Hammond 
writes again to his youngest brother, at that time an 
Eton boy, a letter remembered and treasured by hnn as 
one of especial interest — as the first affectionate encou- 
ragement from Maxy to consecrate to his Creator the 
days of his youth. Full of affection indeed he always 
was to all his family. But now a new spring of love 
welled from his heart. The warmth of his love towards 
his father and mother daily increased, and, having tasted 
of the heavenly gift, he anxiously longed that each one of 
his family should be partakers with himself. In after 
years this wish was strongly expressed by him. He said, 
that so great was his faith in prayer, that he felt persuaded 
that all his family would at last be brought to the saving 
knowledge of Jesus. This early letter was the first over- 
ture, the first exercise of that tender care with which he 
watched over his young brother's years— a care which was 
not bestowed in vain. 

" Halifax, August 17, 1845. 
"I don't know whether you will have gone back to 
Eton or not before this reaches you. I am looking out 
for the packet to hear all about your doings at home 
during the cricket-week. Of course, you, as an Etonian, 
are by this time a crack player. How does the pulling 



HS CHANGED HABITS. 

get on ? We have nothing like your skiffs here, but if 
we had, they could only be used in a dead calm. Sailing 
is the thing, and that we have to perfection. * # * * 
(who, by the by, is an Eton man) has just built a good- 
sized cutter, about thirty- two tons, in which he has just 
gone to Cape Breton. The distance is about 200 miles, and 
as she has double the canvas that a boat ought to have for 
sea-going, I should be sorry to be caught in a gale in her. 
Yachting is rather an expensive hobby. This boat will 
cost him little less than J?600, which, for the few months 
of summer, is decidedly dear. Our moose-hunting is just 
coming on, but I don't intend to go out this year. It 
takes up too much time, and the novelty of the semi- 
savage life has worn away. I look forward with much 
pleasure to going home. Three years is a long time to be 
separated from one's relations, and yet it has passed won- 
derfully quick, and I may say very happily, especially 
the last part of it. Depend upon it, dear H * ♦ *, that 
a man can never be truly happy until he has found a 
higher object to live for than what the world affords. I 
used to think myself quite happy, and so I was. But 
where would it all have been, if I had been deprived of 
health, and had been unable to enjoy the things that con- 
stituted that happiness? No; if we wish to find that 
peace which the world can neither give nor take away, wo 
must live to Him who died for our sins; for then only 
can we find what real happiness and a clear conscience is. 
And surely we are never too young to begin a good work, 
though if v/e put it off, we may lose it for ever. Just 
look at Eccles. xi. 9, 10, and xii. 1, 13, 14; and read what 
Christ said, Matt. xi. 28, 29, 30. Forgive this sermon. 



ADVICE TO A YOUNG BROTHER. 69 

I have said so much to you because I love you, and would 
do to you as I would be done by. And now, my dear 
H * * *, good bye. — Your affectionate brother, 

" M. M. H." 

The next letter is to a brother who was just at that 
time preparing for the ministry : — 

"Halifax, August 18, 1845. 

" I want to know your plans this autumn ; whether you 
are going to C * * *'s; when, and for how long; and also 
when you are to be ordained. I remember making an 
agreement with you, that I would go and hear your first 
sermon. I still have some hopes of doing so, and, if all 
goes well, I should like very much to confirm it. Wherever 
you are, I hope you will be well out of the range of 
Puseyism, which seems spreading everywhere in England, 
and has even reached this country. In Canada, I heard a 
sad specimen, and was horrified at finding what Puseyism 
really is. 

" Yesterday being the 12th of August, reminded me of 
W * * *, who said he was going up to Scotland for 
grouse. My sporting consists in about five hours' target 
practice two or three times a-week, which, though the 
game is always in sight, is rather tedious. . . . Just 

before my return, a young officer of the was taken 

suddenly ill, and died after a few hours of fever and 
delirium. I don't think I ever mentioned to you the death 
of Mrs F * * *, who also died at a moment's notice at 
the hotel, just before I went to the States ; and the other 
day two poor men broke into the cabin of the ifary, 



60 CHANGED HABITS. 

drank some wine, and were capsized in a skiff afterwards, 
and drowned. Do not these seem to be solemn warnino-s 
to US ? and yet all have passed by unheeded. They call 
religion madness and enthusiasm ; but what can be greater 
madness and enthusiasm than to be devoting one's life to 
the affairs of this world? And yet, how carelessly we all 
live, while we are in health and strength, and enjoying all 
the luxuries and comforts of life ! I wish I could say, * To 
live is Christ, to die is gain;' but I feel so much cur 
blessed Lord's injunction, ' Watch and pray, for ye know 
not when the time is." We are told to exhort one another, 
and to pray for one another. I should be very thankful 
if you would urge, advise, and instruct me, as I value and 
enjoy it much; and I wish you all to pray for me. I am 
very weak and sinful, and need all your prayers/' 



DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 61 



CHAPTER V. 

^odrhral fitfos. 

** Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason 

of the hope that is in you." — 1 Pet. iii. 15. 
" Prove all things: hold fast that which is good." — 1 Thess. v. 21. 
*' Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit." — 

Col. ii. 8. 

Theee is in the letter which closes the last chapter, an 
expression regarding the doctrinal teaching of a large sec- 
tion of our Church, which appears to afford a very natural 
opening for some remarks on the individual views and 
opinions of the subject of this memoir. 

Perhaps there is no more difficult task, in these times 
of party spirit and unhappy differences in the Church of 
Christ, than to define the peculiar views of any person in 
such a way as that, in their large and general scope, as 
well as in their practical bearing, they should be fairly 
stated, and run no risk of misconstruction. At the same 
time, if they were represented solely by such passages, 
more or less isolated, as occur in a very limited selection 
of his letters, there would indeed be no little danger that 
false conclusions might be drawn. 

The compiler of this sketch approaches, therefore, this 
portion of his subject not without much diffidence, yet 



62 DOCTEINAL VIEWS. 

with an earnest desire, as far as in him lies, to exhibit 
his subject with an impartial honesty of purpose. A 
friend, before quoted, has attributed Maxy Hammond's 
catholicity of spirit, and the clearness of his spiritual 
views, to his learning his first lessons directly from the 
Scriptures, unbiassed by any ecclesiastical system; with 
singleness of purpose seeking for the truth. His views, 
founded upon Holy Scripture, earnestly searched, and 
doubtless blessed by the teaching and guidance of that 
Holy SjDirit which is given to him that asketh, were 
clear, fixed, and decided. They might be almost em- 
bodied in these texts : " By grace are ye saved through 
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not 
of works, lest any man should boast ; '' and, " Faith, if it 
hath not works, is dead, being alone.'' His views on 
baptismal regeneration are thus stated by himself, in a 
short commentary on the Eomans (chap. ii. 25), written in 
August 1854, and probably were adopted at the very 
commencement of his religious life : — " The outward ordi- 
nance of circumcision was a sio^n of the inward cleansinor 
which must be wrought in the heart, and it was a visible 
seal of God's covenant of mercy with His believing people. 
Like baptism, the outward rite, unless accompanied with 
inward grace, was in itself nothing beyond the mere ad- 
mittance of a person into the visible Church of God. But 
circumcision (and, in like manner, baptism) was indeed 
profitable, when those who had received it were enabled 
by grace to keep the law, and to walk by faith in, and in 
the fear of, God. There was a tendency in the days when 
the apostles wrote, as there is now, to rest in the outward 
ceremonies rather than in the spiritual things they are 



BAPTISM. 63 

intended to signify and convey." Again, on Rom. ii. 28, 29, 
" He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly," he writes : 
*' There have ever been two distinct classes in the Church 
of God — those who serve Him in spirit and in truth, and 
those who only call themselves by His name, but who 
have never yielded to Him their hearts. The tares and 
the wheat must grow together until the harvest, and it 
may be difficult to distinguish the one from the other 
when both profess the same faith, and both conform to 
the same outward observances of religion. But a time is 
coming when a separation will take place, and then the 
distinction will be clearly and eternally made 'between 
him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not' 
(Mai. iii. 18). It is of the highest importance to discern 
between the outward and inward parts of religion. Many 
satisfy their consciences Vvith the outward form, and, not 
being born again, they come short of the kingdom of 
heaven. Applying these words to professing Christians, 
we may read — ' He is not a Christian, who is one out- 
wardly; neither is that baptism, which is outward in the 
flesh : but he is a Christian, who is one inwardly ; and bap- 
tism is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the 
letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.' " 

Holding these opinions, Maxy Hammond regarded with 
some apprehension, and with the strongest disapproba- 
tion, the system and tenets of the Tractarian party; and, 
in the sphere of his own humble duties, he endeavoured, 
as far as possible, to exclude and discountenance any such 
influences. In a letter written two years later, he again 
comments on the doctrines brought forward by the Trac- 
tarians as, in his opinion, pregnant with danger. In allu- 



64 DOCTEINAL VIEWS. 

sion to his youngest brother's approachmg entrance at 
the University of Oxford, he says — "I long to hear of 
H * * *'s getting settled at Merton, and hope he will 
write soon. The trials and temptations of a college Hfe 
are greater than in a regiment; but I trust he will be 
preserved from the worldliness and ungodliness to which 
he will be exposed. Nothing but a sense of the danger, 
and one's own utter weakness, with a continual looldng 
up to Christ, can enable one to hold on in the narrow 
way. The Tractarian teaching is another most serious 
danger, particulaily to one of so open and humble a dis- 
position as H * * * ; but, with the Bible for his guide, 
I trust he may be preserved from imbibing any of their 
erroneous doctrines. These are days in which there is 
great need of proving all things by the only test of truth, 
as well in what we hear as in what we read ; for, alas ! 
many deceivers are entered into the world who abide not 
in the doctrme of Christ." 

A friend, in a letter after his death, says — " As to his 
views, he strongly sympathised with those in our Church 
who hold Evangelical sentiments; and censured Tracta- 
rianism as a system which placed the sacraments between 
the sinner and Christ, hiding Him from view ; and as in- 
culcating essentially Eomanist doctrines, and a religion of 
mere form and ceremony, instead of the pure and simple 
doctrines of the gospel, and the service of the heart and 
affections required of God." 

But, although an avowed opponent of that party and 
their doctrines — if, indeed, such a term can be applied to 
one of his gentle and humble disposition — he was ever 
ready to hold out the hand of fellowship to all indivi- 



CATHOLICITY. 65 

dually who loved the Lord Jesus in sincerity and truth. 
Eegarding in this light members of all parties in the 
Church of England, as well as those who dissented from 
her communion, he received them as all baptized by one 
Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether 
bond or free, looking with a comprehensive love to the 
one great Church of Christ, and persuaded that 

" The saints on earth and those above 

But one communion make ; 
Join'd to their Lord in bands of love, 

All of His grace partake. 
One army of the living God, 

To His command they bow; 
Part of the just have cross'd the flood, 

And part are crossing now." 

In this spirit he co-operated with Dissenters in many 
societies — e.g., the Mic Mac Society, Halifax, and the 
Tract Society, British and Foreign Bible Society, and 
City Mission ; and he was favourable to the Evangelical 
Alliance. He was enabled to recognise in those who be- 
longed to different communions from himself, that they 
are copartners in the kingdom of God. And so he writes, 
three years afterwards, from Kingston, in reference to 
Tractarian doctrine : " Amid the mourning over so many 
who are possibly affected, both among bishops and clergy, 
is it not rejoicing to one's heart to read such a speech 
as that of the Primate of all England at the meeting of 
the Bible Society ? It is indeed matter of praise that the 
head of the Church of England should boldly stand up 
for the truth, and not be ashamed to acknowledge and 



66 DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 

co-operate with those of other denominations who love 
the Lord Jesus, and seek the extension of His kingdom. 
The more I consider the matter, the more I feel assured 
that a catholic spirit is that which most accords with the 
mind and spirit of Christ and His Word." But, with 
this large and catholic spirit, Maxy Hammond was warmly 
attached to the Church of England, feeling it to be the 
purest and most honoured section of the Church of Christ. 
He felt and deeply lamented the immense evil of schism, 
and did all in his power to promote the unity of the 
Spirit, feeling, with the poor peasant at Stockholm, " that 
when we come to die, all our theology will be contained 
in a drop — a drop of the blood shed for sinners." 

Of the unity of Christ's Church, Maxy thus writes, in a 
commentary on Eph. iii. 14<, 15: — • 

"The Church of Christ forms one universal family. 
The Church militant and the Church triumphant are alike 
members of the same family. How sweet the thoughts 
of our communion with the whole family of the redeemed ! 
— all drinking from the same living fountain — ail par- 
takers of the same Saviour's fulness — all heirs of the 
same eternal glory. Love to the brethren is one of the 
badges of discipleship. ' By this shall all men know that 
ye are my disciples, because ye have love one to another.* 
Again — * We know that we have passed from death unto 
life, because we love the brethren.' I humbly trust I do 
feel a love to all the family of God, without reference to 
sect or party. I believe I can with sincerity wish grace 
and peace to all who love the Lord Jesus. The fellow- 
ship of those belonging to my own communion is cer- 
tainly tiie most pleasing, where there is agreement in the 



CONTEOVEESY. 67 

minor points as well as in the essential verities of religion. 
And I certainly do love my own Church, and prefer it to 
all others, because I think it is, on the whole, most in 
accordance with my own views of the purity and simpli- 
city of the truth of God in Christ. But at the same time 
I can heartily join hand in hand with any brother who, 
though differing in externals, is one with me in faith. 
Alas ! how sad that the family of Jesus should be so dis- 
united — that there should be such heartburnings — such 
dissensions — such unhallowed and unholy emulations — ■ 
such a spirit of controversy — such an absence of charity ! 
Oh, Spirit of love ! let my spirit and principle be based 
upon the holy law of love laid down in Thy Word; let 
1 Cor. xiii. be my constant rule and guide; and grant, 
Lord, that all bitterness and jealousy may be removed 
from Thy Church, that each may esteem his brother better 
than himself, and, ' forbearing one another in love,' may 
grow up unto Christ in all things." 

He was indeed very much opposed to anything like 
religious controversy — it was wholly at variance with the 
spirit he strove after. " Alas ! " he says, in one of his 
letters, " how opposed is the spirit of controversy to the 
meelmess and gentleness of Christ ! This is the spirit we 
want to cultivate, and it will be obtained rather by drink- 
ing in the milk of the Word, than from the heated pages 
of angry discussion." .... Then he adds, with singular 
truth, " Satan is glad to take men's minds off the vital 
points of religion, and to give us the husks of empty dis- 
cussion in their place." 

Halifax races v/ere approaching, and, glad to escape 
from an atmosphere so little congenial to his present 



68 DOCTEINAL VIEWS. 

frame of mind, he plans a short cruise in his boat tne 
Mary. There at least, avoiding a season of riot and noise 
which his soul abhorred, he could enjoy an opportunity of 
happy communion with Him whose " way is on the sea, 
and whose path is in the great waters/' Notwithstanding 
that grievous enemy, sea-sickness, who never failed to 
exact his tribute, Maxy's love for the sea never forsook 
him ; and we can fancy him lying back in the little Mary 
— named with affectionate fondness after one of his family 
— ^watching, as the breeze freshened, the yeasty foam that 
gathered under her gunwale, as she ran before the wind 
under the bights and bays of the coast of Nova Scotia. 

*' September 2, 1845. — I have been enjoying myself in 
a short cruise in the Mary during the races, which I was 
delighted to escape. We v/ent to St Margaret's Bay, and 
into Lunnenburg. We had delightful weather, and fair 
winds followed us in going and coming back. Of course 
I was sick the first day, but I have got so accustomed to 
it, that I don't mind it in the least now. The Bishop of 
Massachusetts has been here (Halifax) on a visit, and I 
never met a more delightful person. He is a man of 
great ability and deep piety, which, with his candid and 
unaffected manner, delighted everybody.'" After inquiring 
about the health of a relation, he concludes: "What a 
blessed consolation it is to know that whom the Lord 
loveth He chasteneth ! Her case seems to be a wonderful 
instance of the comfort and peace of mind which a firm 
and confident trust in the merits of a Eedeemer alone 
can give. I often wonder how my faith would stand if 
tried in the furnace of afiliction. It is so easy to talk 
while in full health and strength. How necessary it is 



PEACEFULNESS OF SIIND. 69 

for him ' that thinketh he standeth, to take heed lest he 
fall/ " 

Some expressions in his late letters seem to have been 
misunderstood by some of his friends at this time; and he 
writes to his father : — 

" Halifax, September 17, 1845. 
" I feel very sorry that I should have said anything to 
produce the impression that I am labouring under de- 
spondency and melancholy of feeling. I assure you that 
such is not the case; as I can truly and sincerely say, 
that since, by the mercy of God, I have been brought to 
think seriously on these matters, I have never felt before 
such happiness and peace of mind as, thank God, I now 
enjoy. I doubt not I have been unguarded in some ex- 
pressions; and perhaps in endeavouring to describe the 
sinfulness and corruption of my heart, I may have led 
you to suppose that my mind was oppressed with gloom 
and mistrust. But although the Lord shews me, more 
and more every day, the deceitfulness and desperate 
wickedness of my heart, it produces a very different feeling 
in me from that of unhappiness; for so is my faith in- 
creased, and my firm and joyful hope in my Redeemer 
strengthened and established: and, as you say, the gospel 
is a message of ' glad tidings;' and the 'fruit of the Spirit 
is joy and peace,' such as 'the world can neither give nor 
take away;' and although the way may be 'strait' and the 
paths rugged, yet ' its ways are ways of pleasantness, and 
all its paths are peace.' S.> that for religion to produce a 
morbid melancholy spirit is entirely opposed to the Word 
cf Christ. The sin of our hearts, and the fatal security of 



70 DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 

SO many around us, must produce sorrow; which soon is 
turned into joy, when we think of what Christ has done 
for us in giving us eternal life. I hope by this you will 
perceive that I am not a mournful, but, I trust, under 
God's blessing, a rejoicing Christian; and that, whenever I 
go home, you will find that I am much the same in cheer- 
fulness and happiness of mind as ever ; and that my face 
is still as fat, and my ' dimple ' as visible, as it was three 
years ago. I trust, my dear father, that I never have, 
and never shall, say anything which may lead you to 
suppose that I do not most highly value your advice, 
and feel very thankful for it ; for whose advice could a 
son prize so highly as that of his own father?" 

Whatever fears may have been entertained that the 
change in Maxy's spiritual life might produce a corre- 
sponding one in his animal spirits, they were speedily 
dispersed on his return to his home. If the thoughts of 
his spirit within him tempered at times in any degree the 
brightness of his look, it was far more often for others 
than on his own account. If ever, under the first convic- 
tion of sin, 

" The burden laid upon him 
Seem'd greater than he could bear," 

like the gazer from the bridge, in Longfellow's lines, he 

could say, 

" But now it is taken from me. 

It is buried in the sea; 
And only the sorrows of others 
Cast their shadow over me." 
The ordinary expression of his joyous face, his cheerful 



CHEEEFULNESS AND CONTENT. 71 

refreshing, hearty laugh never declined in the most imper- 
ceptible degree. On the contrary, his Christianity was 
eminently a happy one. A settled peace was his. He 
had no cares — no wants. So that the compiler of these 
pages well remembers one of his family to have remarked, 
that if Maxy's religion brought nothing but such perfect 
contentment, there was little cause for mistrust. We 
would not lose sight of that which is certainly true, that 
Maxy's character was naturally a very cheerful one; or 
ascribe to the effect of grace a greater change in his 
natural man than it really accomplished. But there can 
be no question that it largely enhanced and quickened 
Maxy's flow of happiness, and that it added to his natu- 
rally sweet disposition a solid peace, ever present, never 
disturbed. "The work of righteousness shall be peace, 
and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance 
for ever/' 

" And now to my proceedings since I .ast wrote. Our 
inspection is over. We were reviewed on the 12th, and, 
I believe, we behaved pretty well; at least so every one 
said. I should have liked you and M * * * to have been 
there. We mustered rather strong, and our line extended 
upwards of 400 yards; so that we had scarcely room to 
manoeuvre, even on that large common. The movements 
being something new, that is, not the formal things usually 
practised on these occasions, added much to the effect. 
As you like these things, I will give you a list of the 
manoeuvres : — 

" After receiving the general, marching past, &c., 
" 1. Advance in line. 



72 DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 

" 2. Retired from the right of companies, covered by skir- 
mishers. 
*' 3. Closed to quarter distance on the march. 
" 4. Formed square. 

" 5. Re-formed column, and covered front by skirmishers. 
" 6. Retired, and formed on the head of a road, our flanks 

resting on a wall to resist cavalry. 
"7. Skirmishers changed front to the left, and formed 

column. 
" 8. Skirmishers called in and formed line. 
" 9. Advanced in echellon of grand divisions, or double 

companies from the right. 
" 10. Formed squares of grand divisions. 
*' 11. Formed line. 

" 1 2. Advanced in line, and general salute. 
All that was wanting was a visible enemy, as all 
manoeuvres must otherwise be unintelligible to spectators. 
I still hope to pass the winter at home. As for the pas- 
sage across the Atlantic, of course in the winter it is 
rough; but I would willingly undergo it for the joy of 
getting home. My best love to all. — Ever your affectionate 
Son, «M. M. H." 

This Atlantic voyage, this happy return to his home, 
longed for, but looked forward to as a joy even yet some- 
what distant, came suddenly, and in a way least expected. 
Ivlary Hammond had applied for leave; but two other 
officers had also made application, and he cheerfidjy 
acquiesced in the colonel's decision in their favour. But 
an accidental circumstance induced him to renew his 



AllllIVAL IN ENGLAND. 73 

application. To the great surprise and delight of his 
family, the next letter that reached them was dated — 

" Suffolk Stkeet, Pall Mall, 
" October 16, 1845. 
"My last letter from Halifax did not contain the 
slightest hint of my coming home so soon ; nor did I then 
think of it, as the colonel had said that C * * * and 
T # * * were to leave first. The way it came about was 
this : My friend Gr * * * was very ill, and as he was to 
go home by the next packet, it struck me that my services 
would be invaluable to him and his wife on their journey; 
so I determined, at any rate, to make a push for my leave 
on that i)lea ; and to my great astonishment and delight, 
the colonel, with his usual good nature, at once gave it 
me : so I packed up my traps, and got on board the good 
ship Britannia on the 3d, and bade adieu to Halifax. 
We had a good passage, although I was sick the whole 
way, and reached Liverpool the eleventh day. A heavy 
gale on Saturday and Sunday delayed us a good deal, or 
we might have got in on Monday night. My charge bore 
the journey better than he expected; he is completely 
exhausted however, and I don't think could have borne 
another day. I have now to report myself at the Horse 
Guards, and have several other things to do, which will 
detain me till the end of the week. I am very anxious, 
as you may well suppose, to see you all." 

Invaluable indeed were his services. Though inces- 
santly suffering himself, his care and attention to his 



74? DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 

companion was unrelaxed. He laboured for One who 
" was not unrighteous to Ibrget his work and labour of 
love which he had shewed towards His name;" and his 
tenderness was doubtless not forgotten by the friend 
whose bed he soothed in his sickness. 

It was not without mingled feelings that Maxy regarded 
his first return to his home. Four years had passed since 
he had looked from the deck of the Premier upon the 
white cliffs of his own country on a morning in June — 
the dawn indeed of the morning of his own life — his 
thoughts full of his home and of his friends — crowded 
with visions of novelty and excitement — and little dream- 
ing that before he saw those cliffs again, the germ of a 
new and hidden life would have ripened into maturity, 
under the noon-day rays of a far more glorious sun. He 
had sailed from these shores in every sense a boy, and 
had returned with his form strengthened into its full de- 
velopment, and with the thoughtful cast of manhood on 
his brow. With his outward form, his inner man had 
undergone a complete and entire change. Those four 
years — a short space enough in the life of a man, an im- 
perceptible fragment in the course of time — had been to 
him momentous beyond expression. In those four years 
the great crisis of his life, both for time and for eternit}^, 
had been reached. The past had been swept away, and 
from that time the tide of his life had set in anew : from 
that turning-point in his existence, "the life which he 
henceforth lived in the flesh, he lived by the faith of the 
Son of God." There was matter indeed for deep reflec- 
tion on his part, as the meeting with his friends drew 
near — matter too for solemn gratitude on theirs, and no 



AREIVAL IN ENGLAND. 75 

less scof)e for interesting thought. He arrived ; and the 
effect of the change that had passed over him was mani- 
fest to us all. Bright as his face was in his boyhood, it 
was remarked now that it was as the face of an angel. 

His thoughts had been, as we have said before, early 
tm^ned towards his youngest brother. He knew the inesti- 
mable value of impressions received before the heart and 
affections have become hardened and blunted with sin; 
and he eagerly desired for this young brother that, as long- 
as he lived, he should be lent unto the Lord. The ac- 
count of their first meeting is thus related: — 

" The first time I met Maxy in London, I did not in 
the least know him. I was at Eton at the time, and we 
met at Cox's, in Jermyn Street, by appointment. After 
our first greetings were over, we walked down Piccadilly. 
We had not gone far when he said, ' I hope you did not 
mind my writing to you about religion. The fact is, I 
feel very strongly about it, and I want you to feel the 
same."* He seemed greatly relieved when he had thus 
broken the ice, and when we came home, he instantly 
began reading the Bible with my sisters and myself every 
morning." 

That the growth of his spiritual life had been most 
rapid, was as evident to all of us at home, as the follow- 
ing extracts from letters shew that it had been, and after- 
wards continued to be, to his other friends : — 

"Hammond grows apace," one of them says; "his 
knowledge, wisdom, and courage, cause me to bbish, 
but I hope he stirs me uj) at times." "Hammond, * * *, 
and * * «, are together at Kingston — what a trio!" 
" Hammond grows like a plant." " Hammond sends affec- 



76 DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 

tionate remembrances; he is growing, and is a lovely 
character." 

And do not these extracts furnish a happy evidence 
that not in vain he strove to be conformed to the image 
of Him, who " grew up as a tender plant, and as a root 
out of a dry place.'' His letters all shew that he was daily 
becoming more like Him — more spiritually-minded. 

But this year of enjoyment at his home was not to pass 
without a cloud. It pleased Him " in whom we live, and 
move, and have our being," to take to her rest one to whose 
instrumentality, in part, Maxy Hammond owed his know- 
ledge of the way of life — one whom he himself loved as a 
sister — one whose husband v/as his dearest friend, and at 
whose house those happy family meetings took place on 
Saturday evenings at Halifax. Still a young wife, almost 
yet a bride, she was called away by the voice of the hea- 
venly Bridegroom. In words full of tender affection, he 
replies to a letter from his stricken friend : — 

" St Alban's Couet, 22c? May 1 846. 
" My dear L * * #, — It grieves me to think that I 
should have put you to the pain of again repeating the 
details of the last hours of your departed, but, through the 
mercies of her Saviour, now sainted wife. I say this, be- 
cause I think that every repetition of the events of those 
awful days must bring back the scenes more vividly than 
ever to your mind. Most earnestly do I join with you in 
the prayer that God will let her, "though dead, speak" to 
the souls of her friends, and to mine among the number. 
And tlierefore most especially do I thank you for such a 
full account of her last illness and death. I pray God 



LETTER OF CONDOLENCE. 77 

that her holy example of living and dying, may be the 
means of quickening me to increased devotedness to His 
service, and to a more living faith in the Lord Jesus ; and 
to a deeper sense of the loving-kindness and faithfulness of 
my God and Saviour. You will believe me when I assure 
you that I loved her as my own sister : and, as I have told 
you before, the more so from her having, in the Lord's 
hands, been, with yourself, instrumental in leading me to 
the knov/ledge of that Saviour in whose presence she now 
is. Most deeply, therefore, can I sympathise with you in 
your irreparable loss. But no, I will not say 'irreparable,' 
for, as you remark, the Lord can more than fill the gap 
His hand has caused. And may God enable you to rea- 
lise the truth of this promise. May He give you such 
faith as may enable you to look behind the cloud to His 
face beaming with love and mercy. It is delightful to 
dwell on the goodness of the Lord, and in your own case 
it is indeed a subject of praise that He has so manifested 
His faithfulness and truth, supporting you throughout 
this dispensation. To Him be all the glory and all the 
praise ! 

"Your allusion to the extract from her journal was very 
pleasing to me. Well do I recollect that commmiion ; and 
in my own journal have recorded my own coldness of 
heart, and distraction of thought, while she was enjoying 
so fully the bread of life. God grant that her wish (and 
I have no doubt her frequent prayer) may be realised, that 
we may one day praise the Eedeemer together. How re- 
markable, too, that her last hymn was that which I and we 
all loved so much. I have got three of her favourite 
hymns in her own handwriting, which she copied out for me 



78 DOCTEINAL VIEWS. 

about this time last year — ' Thy will be clone ; * ' Prayer 
is the soul's sincere desire;' and lines 'On being called a 
saint/ Little did I think when she gave me these, that in 
less than one short year she would actually be enjoying 
the fruition of her prayer : — • 

* Lord, when on earth I breathe no more, 
The prayer oft mix'd with sin before 
I '11 sing upon a happier shore ; 

Thy will be done ! ' 

Yes, dear L * * *, let us reach those words, ' Thy will be 
done, Lord, for so it seemed good in thy sight.' How 
awfully true too did the second verse of the hymn prove 
to you: may you be enabled to join in it in heart : — 

' If thou shouldst cause me to resign 
What most I prized, it ne'er was mine ; 
I only yield thee what is thine ; 

Thy will be done!' 

Most carefully shall I cherish this little memento of my 
departed sister. These subjects, submission, 2:>rayer, and 
bold profession, remind me of her who copied them. And 
now I come to that part of your letter descriptive of her 
last moments. I will not dwell upon it. Her end was 
peace. It calls us to stop and adore in himible gratitude Him 
who was able to perfect strength in such weakness; who, 
while the outward man was perishing, was renewing the 
inner, and making it meet to put on the glorious apparel 
of the saints in light. I trust and pray God that your 
object in sending the particulars may be fulfilled; that I 
may be enabled to give up myself more entirely to the 



CONSOLATION. 79 

service of the Lord ; and that in seasons of darkness and 
trouble, I may be enabled to look np to Him who alone can 
give support and consolation ; and may you find more of 
that peace which the Lord has promised to his afflicted 
children. I hope, if the Lord will, to see you when you 
come to town. Please let me know when you will be 
there, and when you would like me to meet you. Adieu 
for the present. The Lord be with you. — Ever your sin- 
cere friend, "M. M. H." 



80 LOVE OF nOMK 



CHAPTER VL 

fob 0f ^mt 

*' My home, my home, oh, ever dear 

Thy hallo w'd scenes shall be ; 
In joy or grief, in hope or fear. 

My spirit clings to thee. 
I deem my home an emblem meet 
Of that enduring, last retreat, 

From pain and passion free, 
Where Peace shall fix her bright abode. 
And yield her followers up to God." 

Barnard's Poems. 

The few months of Maxy Hammond's leave soon expired ; 
and in August he writes again to a brother officer and 
friend to announce his approaching return to America: — 

"London, August 17, 1846. 
" My dear L * * *, — I just write a line to say good- 
bye before my departure for Halifax. I should have liked 
to have seen you once more, but I must rest satisfied with 
the prospect some months hence. Of course, you know 
that the regiment has left Halifax ; but where they are to 
be quartered I have not ascertained — either at Quebec, 
Montreal, or St John's. W * * * and N * * * have 
both been down to see me. I enjoyed W * * *'s visit 



COEKESPONDENCE. 81 

amazingly, and most truly glad was I to meet him once 
more. I am sure we can mark in him an evident growth 
in grace, and I could not but admire the warmth and de- 
votion of his heart to his Master's cause. With dear 
N * * *, too, I had a truly happy meeting. He staid 
with me from Saturday till Monday, and on Sunday we 
were privileged to kneel together at the Lord's table. I 
fear our battalions are to be separated — in which case you 
also will be separated from us when you get promoted. 
But how blessed a thing is it to know that we have one 
Friend who is ever with us to guide, strengthen, comfort, 
and save us ! Oh, may we find him more and more pre- 
cious to our souls ! I have left home with mingled feel- 
ings of sorrow and joy — sorrow at parting from many I 
love dearly, both in the flesh and in the Lord. My con- 
science also accuses me of past negligence about the con- 
cerns of others, and great lukewarmness in my Master's 
service. But, on the other hand, how great have been 
the Lord's mercies, how wonderfully have the rough places 
been made smooth, and the crooked paths straight ! The 
promise has indeed been most graciously fulfilled in me 
— ' Goodness and mercy shall follow him all the days of 
his life.' I hope you have been enjoying your visit to 
Scarborough, and that the Lord is gradually healing your 
wounded spirit. The Word can never fail. ' Afterward 
He will have compassion according to the multitude of 
His tender mercies.' With my kindest remembrances to 
all yom" party, and the prayer that the Lord will continue 
to cheer you and comfort you in your pilgrimage, be- 
lieve me, your unworthy brother in Christ, 

" M. M. H." 

F 



82 LOVE OF HOME. 

The next is from Liverpool, to his mother: — 

''August 18, 1846. 
" My dearest Mother, — I just write you a few lines 
to thank you for the most kind and affectionate letter that 
I received this evening. I should like to express my 
gratitude, but I feel that I cannot do so as I would de- 
sire and wish; so forgive my apparent coldness and in- 
difference. Your letter produced in my mind feelings of 
sorrow and joy at the same time. I felt humbled, under 
a sense of my utter unworthiness (believe liie, I say this 
from my very heart) of such expressions of affection and 
esteem as you were pleased to bestow on me. As a son, 
I feel also that I have done much to grieve and dishonour 
the best of parents; as a brother, that I have frequently 
given way to harshness and ill temper. But, although I 
feel and have felt my sinfulness in this respect, yet I be- 
lieve it has been (and I trust always will be) my earnest 
desire and prayer to shew that I am not insensible to the 
great affection of you and all my family. With regard to 
my religious feelings, I will say but little. If I have been 
made to differ at all from what I once was, I would ascribe 
all the praise and all the glory to a merciful and long- 
suffering God; for I feel daily more and more strongly 
that all has been of His doing — none of mine. Pray re- 
member, dear mother, that I am a weak and sinful crea- 
ture, and still liable to fall; and pray for me, that He 
who has begim this good work, may continue to carry it 

en I hope father's descriptiou of the Yankee will 

make you laugh as much as the original made us. Poor 
Mab ! (his dog) I am in doubt of ever seeing her again; 



HUMILITY. 83 

what I fear is, that she will get away from the people at 
Birmingham, or will gnaw through the string, which is 
an old trick. I was so sorry not to bid Anne (an old 
servant) good-bye ; tell her so, and thank her very much 

for her invaluable assistance in my packing And 

now, dear mother, once more, farewell. You will often 
be in my thoughts, and always in my prayers. — Your 
very affectionate and truly grateful son, M. M. H.'' 

This letter portrays very forcibly a very marked fea- 
ture in Maxy Hammond's character — his great humility. 
We read here the outpourings of a heart which, however it 
might appear to others, was in his own sight full of infir- 
mity, full of defect. How earnestly, with what simplicity, 
he mourns over his sense of indwelling sin — of the old man 
struggling with the new ! " What I would, that do I not; 
but what I hate, that I do.'' And yet he who writes thus 
had very recently been described, in a preceding page, as 
*' one whose knowledge and wisdom put others to the blush'' 
— as "growing like a plant" — as " shining and growing in 
grace" — as a " lovely character." And if he had all this, 
if thus rightly described, whence came it ? Was it not 
because God "resisteth the proud, hut giveth grace to the 
humble" — because "the high and lofty One, whose name 
is Holy, dwells with him that is of a contrite and lowly 
spirit" — because, "when men are cast down there is a lift- 
ing up, and God shall save the humble person?" His love 
for his "home" — that word which has no synonym in 
any other language than our own — was very deeply im- 
planted, using it in its widest sense. His affection to his 
family was closely interwoven with an attachment to the 



84 , LOVE OF HOME. 

place where his days of boyhood and childhood were 
passed, and he clung to that spot with all its associations. 
By nature especially unselfish, his spirit entered into all 
the little interests of his family circle. But he early felt 
that one of the drawbacks to a soldier's life was the 
absence of this "homey'' element. He looked forward 
indeed very soon after this to marriage, as a means of 
creating around him an atmosphere of that domestic 
character for which his heart yearned ; and in after years 
his greatest delight was to be able to offer to young officers 
that happy fireside intercourse which, at the outset of his 
career, had brought such priceless blessings to himself. 

Much of this feeling is breathed in the following let- 
ters. In one, dated Toronto, September 22, 1847, he 
says : — 

"My dear Father, — I try to write to all 

successively, and this is the only way I can at all repay 
your never-failing pens and hearts. I must begin with 
the usual preface of having nothing to write about; but, 
in spite of this, I am conceited enough to imagine that 
you will count my letter as worth more than the postage, 
if it only tells you that I am well, and that I do not forget 
my home, and my dear friends there. I remember telling 
you once that I thought that long separation made me 
forget your faces — this I must deny in toto. On the con- 
trary, the farther I am from you, the more present do you 
seem to my mind. I delight in feeling that my affection 
for you all increases, instead of decreases; time, in this 
respect, is not injurious." 

And in an earlier one, to his mother: — 



AFFECTION FOR HIS FAIMILY. 85 

''January 2, 1845. 
" How I should have enjoyed to have been one of your 
party last Christmas ! However we may hope by the 
blessing of God, to be all at home next winter. But, 
although I am so many miles away, I passed here a most 
happy Christmas ; in fact, we are all like one family, as I 
could not help remarking, as we sat round the fire after 
dinner at L * * *'s the other day — it reminded me so 
much of home. It so happened, that L * * * sat in the 
exact place that father always does, and Mrs L * * * in 
your corner next the wall." 

And so again he writes to his father from on board 
the Britannia at sea. After a few remarks as to her 
progress, his fellow-passengers, &c., he says : — 

" Now let me turn my thoughts towards home and all 
that I have left behind me. I can't tell you how much I 
enjoyed the comfort of your and H * * *'s company to 
Liverpool ; nor can I thank you sufficiently for all your 
kindness and generosity to me at all times. However 
unable I may be to express my gratitude, I do leel most 
thankful, and would wish you to believe that I am so. I 
felt very sorrowful as your little steamer gradually in- 
creased her distance from us. It was my last glimpse of 
liome; and when you were out of sight, I remembered 
that I was now separated and once more launched upon 
the wide world. I need hardly tell you how much I 
enjoyed my happy eleven months' leave. But I look for- 
ward with great pleasure to rejoining the regiment. I 
should not like to be idle any longer. I am hoping to 



86 LOVE OF HOME. 

catch the Belleisle at Halifax, that I may get my luggage 
sent up to Quebec. If she is gone I shall take it on with 
me to Boston, and so to Montreal by rail and steam. 
Nothing has occurred of interest since we left except the 
loss of our jib-boom and the sight of a fine iceberg yes- 
terday. Mab and Bully (his bullfinch) are both thriving. 
Mab lives under the forecastle, and Bully in my cabin, 
and on deck in fine weather. He has only sung four 
times since we started, but I hoj^e he will behave better 
when we land. 

" Septemher 2. — The Belleisle sails at daybreak to- 
morrow. We shall 2:>robably arrive at Quebec about the 
] 6th, so I shall most likely be at Montreal by the time 
my luggage arrives. Bully and Mab in safe keeping. I 
have been favoured with several songs since we landed. 
. . . That the Lord may ble3s and preserve you, will ever 
be the prayer of your most affectionate son, 

"M. M. H." 

The battalion was removed to Montreal, and the first 
letter we find dated from that place is addressed to Dr 
T * * *, the minister of Halifax, whom he loved as a 
faithful minister of Christ, and valued as a friend. 

''Montreal, October 24, 1846. 
" My dear Dr T * * *, — ... I know that the sub- 
ject that will chiefly interest you will be to hear of the 
spiritual welfare of those whose pastor you have been, 
and amongst whom you have laboured for a few years not 
without success, through the mercy of our Lord. You 
would be gratified to hear with what affection and esteem 



LETTEK TO DK T * * * — COMMON INTEKESTS. 87 

your memory is regarded by those who have hearts to 
love their Saviour: and indeed by all, whether religious or 
not (as I know from authority that I can rely upon), is 
the same testimony borne to your kindness and unceasing 
attention. I don't think you will accuse me of flattery in 
telling you this. I do so, thinking it may be a source of 
some comfort and satisfaction to you to know that ' your 
labour is not in vain in the Lord;' and well-knowing that 
you will say, ' To the Lord be all the praise and all the 
glory.' I have many things to tell you, subjects of joy 
and also of sorrow. Most of those who have been brought 
to the fear of the Lord have been going on steadily and 
consistently, as far as I can learn. But Satan has been 
very busy amongst us too. Some ' crucified afresh the Son 
of God, and counted the blood of the covenant a common 
thing.' . . . How we miss the Sunday School. There is 
now nothing of the sort, except the lecture on Sunday 
evening, at which the men can attend. Truly we all need 
to be brought together, that we may stir each other up, and 
by precept, example, and advice, encourage and assist one 
another in running the race set before us. But the Lord's 
ways are not our ways, and I doubt not it is good for 
us to be deprived of the abundance of privileges wh'ch 
we enjoyed at Halifax. Oh ! that it may lead each and 
all of us to be applying with more earnestness and fre- 
quency to the fountain-liead ; that it may be our blessed- 
ness to be receiving fresh supplies out of the fulness that 
is treasured up in Jesuf. If you have at any time a few 
minutes to spare, I can't tell you what pleasure a few lines 
would afford me. I should like much to hear how the 
schools (men's and children's) are getting on, what number 



88 LOVE OF HOME. 

you generally muster at the hospital class, and whether the 
vacant places have yet been filled. • Poor C * * * ! so he 
is gone. Did he shew any satisfactoiy evidence of change 
before he died ? I am most anxious to learn this. And 
what of old M * * *, how is he ? And does his heart 
appear at all softened ? My servant desires to be respect- 
fully remembered to you. My kind regards to Mrs 
T * * *, and, with prayer for your own weKare, spiritual 
and temporal, and that the Lord may bless your labours 
to the salvation of many souls, believe me, my dear Dr 
T * * *, yours, most sincerely and obliged, 

"M. M. Hammond/' 

The following extract from a letter to his father, who 
was engaged upon a work in which the subject of prophecy 
was somewhat fully treated, appears to have been written 
about this time : — 

"The study of prophecy is one of deep interest and 
importance. It is the key which opens to us the hidden 
and dark parts of the sacred book ; and by it are made 
manifest what would otherwise appear confusion and 
obscurity. The prophecies in reference to the Messiah, of 
which you are especially treating, are in fact the basis of 
the Christian religion, and therefore cannot be too highly 
rc,a;arded. On their truth depends the authority of the 
Bible, and that which is of infinite importance to us fallen 
creatures, the salvation of sinful man. From beginning 
to end the Bible points to Jesus as the Alpha and Omega, 
the first and the last, the object of all our hopes, the sum 
and substance of our faith, of which He is the Autlior and 



COEEESPONDENCE. 89 

Finisher. For my part, I am but very imperfectly ac- 
quainted with the prophecies ; but I hope to know more 
of them in time, and that your book may be the means of 
leading me to a better knowledge." 

Maxy Hammond never omitted an opportunity of 
securing friendships that he could really value, and, once 
secured, he never lost them through neglect as a corre- 
spondent. In almost every place in which he was quar- 
tered he left some real friend behind, with whom he 
afterwards kept up a regidar intercourse, and to one of 
these the next letter is addressed. 

"MoNTEEAL, October 10. 
" My deae I * * *, — Let me inquire something of you 
and yours since we shook hands on board the Cambria. 
I hope all is still well with you, and that matters are going 
on as smoothly and quietly as when I left Halifax; and 
what of Mr C * * * ? I am most anxious to hear how he 
is, and how he has been since I saw him last ; pray let me 
know, as I am deeply interested in him at all times, and 
now the more so, when the Lord's hand is upon him. 
You can give him my kindest and best wishes, with every 
Christian remembrance. ... I heard * * * preach 
here last Sunday. He is a decided Arminian, and in his 
sermon on Gen. vi. 3, he endeavoured to refute the Cal- 
vinistic views by a variety of arguments. * * « is gone 
down to Quebec ; I had some very interesting conversations 
with him, and I do hope that he will one day be brought 
into the fold; he says he is very anxious and very desirous 
of turning to the Lord, but that 'he cannot;' he thinks 



90 LOVE OF HOME. 

he is ' one of the black sheep/ What an extraordinaa-y 
notion ! I endeavoured to point out to him the way; and 
I trust the Lord, in His own time and way, will lead him 
into it. Young * * * is much in the same state of mind. 
Yesterday I had a long and serious talk with him. His 
stumblingblock, I think, is the fear of man. But I have 
great hopes of him. If we had more faith, and relied 
more upon the Lord, how much might be done ! How 
simple are the promises, and how slow are we to believe 
them ! ' Lord, help Thou mine unbelief.' I found a great 
change on coming here, many new faces, very few old ones, 
and not one to go to for sympathy or advice. My greatest 
friend is my own servant, B * * *, whom you may per- 
haps remember at our Sunday School. As yet, I have not 
made the acquaintance of Mr W * * *, though I have 
called several times. You will be rejoiced to hear that 
C * * * is an altered man. One who before was de- 
cidedly opposed to vital religion, and quite impenetrable. 
His wife died in the spring, rejoicing in her Saviour, and 
this has been blessed to him. How true the old remark, 
^ Man's extremity is God's opportunity.' C * * * is 
much changed now from what he was. Mr * * *'s 
death seems to have aroused him. You will grieve to hear 
of the fall of poor « * *. I don't know the particulars, 
but C * * * told me he had gone back to the ways of 
sin. . . . Thus, while we are rejoicing over some, we are 
mourning over others. Let us look to our own hearts, 
and pray God to search and try us, that we may discover 
what we are in truth. And when v/e look within, what 
do we behold, but ' every form of creeping things and 
abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, 



FAITH IN CHRIST. 9t 

portrayed upon the walls thereof V What but the blood 
of Jesus can cleanse us, and what but the Spnit can 
sanctify us ? He is our all, our beginning, and He must 
be our end, if we would win heaven. May He be more 
precious to you and to me here, and may He be our ever- 
lasting portion hereafter !— Yours, in the best and happiest 
bonds, M. M. Hammond." 

In speaking of one of these sick persons, the testimony 
of a mind stayed upon Jesus, and kept in peace by Him, 
is thus related by Captain Hammond: — 

" Before you come out again,'' he writes, " it is more 
than probable that two dear friends of ours will have 
entered into their rest — Mr C * * * and H. M * * *. 
C * * * has been growing weaker and weaker, but though 
the outward man is perishing, the inward man is being 
renewed day by day. In a conversation that I * * * had 
with him, he asked him if he could read now. ' No,' he 
replied, 'but I am feeding on what is stored up in my 
mind.' I * * * then said, ' What a great mercy it is that 
you have this store of truth in your mind.' 'True,' he 
said, ' and one truth is ever present with me, that Christ 
Jesus came into the world to save sinners.' " 

The next letter is dated, Montreal, December 12, 
1846, and is written on the approaching new year, to his 
brother : — 

" On these occasions," he says, " it is good to look back 
on the past, and to call to mind the mercies and blessings 



92 LOVE OF HOME. 

that we have received at the Lord's hands. . . . The new 
year is also a time for humiliation, when we call to mind 
our own doings during the twelve months gone by; when 
we ask ourselves what we have been doing; how we have 
employed our time and talents; whether, upon the whole, 
there has been any improvement in our hearts and lives ; 
whether we have ' grown in grace, and in the knowledge of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;' whether we have been 
faithful to our Lord and Master; and whether we have 
done our duty towards our fellow-men. Who could say 
in his heart, I have done all this ? Eather, we have reason 
to humble ourselves before God, at how little we have 
done that we might have done, and seek to be washed in 
that blood which alone can take away sin. The nev/ year, 
too, is a time to look forward, as well as back — to commit 
the unknown future to Him who is our Friend and 
Keeper, and to resolve, in the strength of Divine grace, 
that the close of the new year shall find us more watchful, 
more prayerful, more humble, and more holy than at the 
commencement of it. We must resolve to be more 
devoted to the service of God than we have been, more 
earnest about the salvation of others, more zealous in 
doing good, more decided in bearing witness to Jesus in 
the world. In saying so much on this subject, I do so 
merely because I think it is right, at such seasons, that 
we should stir each other up, and put one another in mind 
of the great object of our lives, viz., preparation for 
eternity. — Your affectionate brother, 

«M. M. H." 



LETTERS. 33 



CHAPTER Vir. 

ftttcri 

" soothe us, haunt us, night and day. 
Ye gentle spirits far away. 
With whom we shared the cup of grace — 
Then parted; ye to Christ's embrace. 
We to the lonesome world again ; 
Yet mindful of th' unearthly strain, 
Practised with you at Eden's door. 
To be sung on, where angels soar. 
With blended voices evermore." 

In no profession are the members of one community so 
liable to sudden separation as in the army. Here to-day, 
five or six officers may be dispersed to-morrow to the four 
quarters of the globe — scattered at every change of wind, 
like driftwood or autumn leaves. " Out of sight Out of 
mind" is a reproach which has grown into a standing 
proverb; a sad reflection on the shallow depth of summer 
friendship. Yet even that friendship which is not of the 
world, but based upon the love of the Saviour, needs the 
interchange of thought, or the expression of common in- 
terests, to keep it from declining. 

So, when the little group of officers, who began together 
their Christian Hf e at Halifax, v/ as broken up and scattered 
abroad, Maxy Hammond suffered no want of care or dili- 



94 LETTEKS. . 

gence on his part to weaken the chain which bound them 

together. And what Hnk so strong, so fitted to resist the 

pressure of outward circumstances, as the adoption of a 

common season of prayer? A proposal to this effect, with 

some suggestions for subjects, is contained in tlie next 

letter : — 

"JSTovemher 23, 184^6. 

" My dear W * * *, — I miss you all very much, and 
feel the want of a Christian companion in the regiment. 
How precious in my memory are those bright days of 
Christian fellowship which we enjoyed together! But I 
trust the Lord is teaching me (alas! how slow I am to 
learn) to walk by faith, and to be more independent of 
creature-comforts. Nevertheless, I do esteem the privi- 
lege of Christian intercourse very highly. I think it has 
done me much good, in helping to stir me up to more 
watchfulness and earnestness in my walk, and I always 
find it cheering and comforting to my soul. 

" You will be interested in hearing of regimental mat- 
ters. — Would to God I could give you a good report ! Satan, 
I fear, has been busy in rooting out from many whatever 
good desires and resolutions may have been produced from 
the means of grace at Halifax ; * * *, and * * *, and 
* * * have been kept in the faith, I rejoice and bless 
God to say, while of the rest I can hear but little ; and I 
fear no fruit has followed to give evidence of any change 
of heart. On the contrary, many have gone back to the 
ways of death. Of * * * I had some good hopes, but I 
fear his heart is yet in the world ; he has been anxious, 
but I think merely from natural conviction and the voice 
of conscience; utterly ignorant of sin, and, therefore, of his 



SUBJECTS FOR MUTUAL PRAYEK. 95 

need of a Saviour; with some vague notions of turning 
religious, without knowing what it means, or any apparent 
desire to do so. Mrs H * * * is going on well ; of her it 
may be said, as of old to the Church of Pergamos — ' I 
know where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is:' 
but the Lord has prevented her from being infected by the 
evil around her, and I really believe she is leaning on Him. 
She is living in a room with five other families, and a 
hundred men cursing and swearing from morning till 
nioht. What a trial it must be 1 

" I have just written to J * * * F* * * and have pro- 
posed to him, that we should meet around the throne oC 
grace for mutual prayer on the 1st of January 1847. 
That our requests may be uniform, I have hinted at the 
heads of our prayers, which, of course, you can alter as you 
see fit : — 

" Thanksgiving and praise — 

" For the mercies of the year past ; that we have been 
enabled, by God's goodness, mutually to help one another 
forward on the way to Zion. That hitherto the Lord hath 
kept and preserved us in the faith amidst so many dangers, 
trials, and temptations from without and from within. 
That the Lord has called to rest one of our number. 
That she fell asleep in Jesus, and by her peaceful death, 
bore testimony to the truth and faithfulness of God. 

" Confession — 

"The sins of the past year, both of commission and 
omission ; our sloth, indolence, unfaithfulness, and unf ruit- 
fulness ; our neglect of duty and improving opportunities 
of usefulness ; our sinful compliances with the ways of 
the world and worldly men ; our inconsistencies, and tha 



96 LETTERS. 

dishonour to God, and blot in our profession by such 
acts. 

" Supplication — 

" That we may have grace to persevere unto the end. 

" That our faith may be strengthened. 

" That love to God, and by it love to man, and to each 
other as brethren, may be deepened and increased. 

" That we may be humbled. 

" That we may be more faithful in confessing Christ. 

" That fear of man may be rooted out of our hearts. 

" That we may be more holy in life and conversation, and 
for this end, that the Holy Ghost may sanctify, renew, and 
cleanse our hearts, and conform us to the image of Jesus. 

" Intercession — 

" For each other individually. 

" For an outpouring of the Spirit on the regiment. 

" For the faithful among the men. 

" For the ungodly among the men. 

" For the backsliders among the men. 

"For the officers. 

" For our own families, that each of us may be made a 
blessing in his own. 

"For our Christian friends at Halifax, especially for 
Mr C * * * in his sickness ; and for Dr T * ^5 * that 
his labours may be blessed. 

" For the schools. 

" These are some of the requests which should form our 
prayer, and in which we can join with mutual interest. 
Let us not forget the tie that bound us together when we 
lived together ; and let us see to it that it is not severed 
either in time or in eternity. Soon we shall meet to go 



PKAYER MEETING. 97 

out no more. If we live looking unto Jesus, we shall 
stand in eternity in His i^resence. What a hope ! but it 
is more than a hope, for it is founded on the never-failing 
prayer of the Eedeemer Himself, ' Father, I will that they 
also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, 
that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me ; 
for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.' 
That this may be your and my portion may God in his 
infinite mercy grant, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. — Ever yours, 

" M. M. H. ' 

This proposal of mutual union in prayer on the com- 
mencement of the new year was adopted, and we see 
with what delight and enjoyment Captain Hammond 
refers to it in the next letter, to a brother officer, then in 
England. 

"January 28, 1847. 
" My dear N * * *, — We remembered you together 
at the throne of grace on the first day of the year. It 
was a very happy day to me; and I would trust that our 
prayers found their way into the presence of God, and 
were accepted in our great Intercessor and Mediator. On 
the same evening we met at Mr W * * *'s school-room, 
in accordance with Mr Haldane Stewart's invitation to 
prayer. Mr W * * * opened with some prayers from 
the Liturgy and a hymn ; and then a portion of Scripture, 
with a few practical comments and heart-searching re- 
marks. Next an extempore prayer for the outpouring of 
the Holy Spirit on our country, and especially for the con- 
gi'egation, concluding with a hymn of praise. It was one 

G 



9S LETTERS. 

of the most enjoyable meetings I ever was privileged to 
attend. Oh ! how blessed will be that time when we join 
with the chorus above, when our voices shall mingle in 
sweet harmony with the thousand thousands of the Lord's 
redeemed ones, who cease not day and night singing to 
the praise of the Lamb who bought them with His blood ! 
, . . Let us give diligence to make our calling and elec- 
tion sure. There must be no doubt about it, for we have 
only to believe that the word of Jehovah cannot fail, to 
rest upon His promises, which are all yea and amen in 
Jesus; or, as it is nicely exjDressed in one of Helen 
Plumptre's letters, speaking of the life of faith, * by man 
called presumption, by God called faith ; or just believing 
that God cannot lie/ I think those are precious words 
of St Paul's (1 Cor. ix.), ' So run, that ye may obtain. I 
therefore so run, not as uncei^tainly ; so fight I, not as one 
that beateth the air.' No, there is no doubt, no uncer- 
tainty in the mind and will of Jesus. Let us only believe 
this, and there will be no place found in our hearts for 
thoughts so ungrateful, so dishonouring to our Saviour- 
God.'' 

Durmg his stay at Montreal, Maxy Hammond interested 
himself in endeavouring to ameliorate the ever wretched 
circumstances of those soldiers' wives who had married 
without leave, and he briefly alludes to them in the next 
letter. 

"Montreal, December 24, 1846. 
" My dear Father,— ... My most intimate friend 
is P * * * of the artillery. I have also a very nice 
acquaintance in a Mr L * * *, formerly of the navy, who 



DEATH OF AN OFFICEE. 99 

is Staying for the winter with Mr W * * *. Imagine 
my delight this morning, in returning from a fire in the 
town, to hear some one call me by name, when, on lookino- 
round, I saw it was L * * *. We • exj^ected him, but 
hardly so soon. He brought me the packet, for which 
thank mother, and also for Mr Pym's little book, and 
Uncle A * * *'s new volume and his ' Cottage Almanack,' 
for which I wish you to return him my best thanks if you 
see him. 

" I like Montreal daily more than I did ; not that I 
think the place in itself an agreeable one, but I have now 
settled down into more regular habits ; and my time for 
the most part is taken up in different ways, so that it 
passes very pleasantly. I have been lately busy in hunt- 
ing out the wives of the soldiers married without leave. 
These poor creatures are denied any indulgence in the way 
of rations or washing, and some of them actually have to 
exist on threepence or fourpence a day, out of which they 
have to pay the rent of the wretched pig-sties in which 
tliey live, and perhaps support a child. How they do live 
is to me a marvel. We have got up a small subscription 
to relieve them, and have given them some start for the 
winter. 

"We are much affected by the expected death of a 
young officer of the — th, who is now, I fear, fast ap- 
proaching his end. He was taken ill about three weeks 
ago, at that time as hearty and strong-looking a man as 
you could see. Nothing serious was anticipated at first, 
as many people had had the same low fever, and it was 
not thought dangerous. But the fever and weakness in- 
creased upon him, in spite of all the doctors could do ; and 



100 LETTERS. 

now, poor fellow, he is pronounced beyond hope. I saw 
him yesterday by permission of the doctors. He was 
reduced to the utmost state of exhaustion, but his mind 
and his faculties were left perfectly clear. Poor fellow ! 
he had lived a careless and ungodly life, and now, at the 
eleventh hour, he had to seek his Saviour. It was a sad 
and solemn scene, but he shewed an anxiety to embrace 
the offer of salvation, which, through the mercy of God, I 
trust he may find at the last. It is also to be hoped that 
some of the thoughtless ones who were his companions 
may be aroused ; but it is astonishing what little effect 
these things have on the minds of men. It must be that 
* the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them 
that believe not.' . . . 

" And now, my dear father, good-bye, best love to all, 
and a happy new year to you. May each succeeding 
year bring us nearer to our heavenly rest ! It will be a 
blessed meeting around the throne of the Lamb, and there 
we shall part no more. — ^Your affectionate and grateful 
son, M. M. H." 

The beginning of January found Maxy Hammond still 
at Montreal. There is a peculiar interest in the following 
allusions to the light in which the Christian shoidd regard 
the removal of those he has loved. He writes to a 
sister: — 

" MoNTEEAL, January 19, 1847. 
"I have but little to teU you in the shape of news. 
You may suppose how great a delight it has been to me 
to have * * * as a companion once more. Poor fellow ! 



THE BEST PREACHER, HE WHO PREACHES CHRIST. 10] 

the loss of liis dear wife is one that nothing here can re- 
pair; but he is wonderfully cheerful, and the promise that 
the Lord will be to him more than either father, mother, 
wife, or brother, seems to have been literally fulfilled in 
him. He constantly speaks of her to me not as of one 
who is for ever gone from him, but only separated for a 
little season. This is the way in which to regard the loss 
of friends,* and which alone can effectually heal the wound 
of such a bereavement as his. If you could see his calm 
and happy countenance while speaking of her, you could 
understand the meaning of that case—' Happy is the man 
whom the Lord correcteth.' I know you take an interest 
in him as my dearest friend, and it is good also to bear 
testimony to the goodness and faithfulness of God in 

seasons of affliction —Ever your affectionate, 

" M. M. H." 

To his youngest brother, still at Eton, but about to 
enter at Oxford, he writes : — 

" In reading a sermon the other day by Elavel, an old 
divine of the seventeenth century, I met with a simple 
and excellent test by which to prove the soundness or 

unsoundness of a sermon in the present day. He says 

' He is the best preacher who can, in the most lively and 
powerful manner, display Jesus Christ before the people 
—evidently setting Him forth as crucified among them; 

and that is the best sermon which is most full of Christ 

jwt of art and language: This was Paul's doctrine— 'I 
determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ 
and him crucified.' .... 

"I really feel very anxious for you in your Oxford 



102 LETTERS. 

career. I know how many temptations and snares are 
likely to assail you there, but I really believe that the 
work of grace has been begun in your heart; and if so, 
we knoAV that ' He who has begun the good work in you 
will also perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ/ Ee- 
meniber, dear Harry, ' that no man can serve two masters/ 
Religion must be everything or nothing to a man. If we 
would serve the Lord, we must make up our minds to do 
so fully and entirely, and most cheerfully and gladly put 
up with the sneers and scoffs of those who know not God, 
and who are ionorant of the blessedness of beinoj recon- 
ciled to God through the blood of Jesus. We must never 
be ashamed to confess Christ before men, and must never 
shrink from bearing the cross. Moses esteemed the re- 
proach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egyptj 
and chose ' rather to suffer affliction with the people of 
God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season' (Heb. 
xi.) ; and so ought we. Read your Bible with prayer, and 
l^ray much in secret. Make Jesus your friend and ad- 
viser, to whom to go for all that you need, and the peace 
of God, w^hich passeth all understanding, shall keep your 
heart and mind." 

The next letter alludes to the death of a friend: — 

" MoNTEEAL, May 5, 1847. 
" My dear J * * *, — The contents of your letter were 
deej^ly interesting to L * * * and myself, and we did not 
think that any apology was necessary for the account you 
gave of dear * * * s last moments. Why, those few 
particulars were more precious to us than gold. Yes; it 
was very ]irecious to us to hear of our dear sister's dying 



ILLNESS OF FEIENDS. 103 

testimony to the faithfulness of God, and the sufficiency 
of the blood of Jesus to give peace and joy in the hour of 
dissolution. Oh that you and I, dear J * * ^, may be 
enabled to say, ' Nothing but the blood of Jesus/ when 
our time comes for putting off the earthly tabernacle! 
We are anxious to hear how L * * * has borne her heavy 
loss, for a grievous one it must be to her. But I doubt 
not that the Lord has been with her, to support and cheer 
her in her affliction. Pray, express our sympathy, and 
give our kind regards, if you should see her. 

"L * * * received your note telling us of Mr C * * *'s 
having rallied. A mercy indeed it is that the Lord should 
spare his life a little longer to those to whom it is dear; 
but we cannot think that you have any hope of a per^na- 
nent improvement in his health, after the disease has gone 
so deep. How wonderful are the ways of God, and how 
far beyond our poor weak understandings ! However, I 
cannot imagine that any decided change can take place 
for the better; and I fear that this last is but a flickering 
in the lamp, as it were, before going out. * He has fought 
a good fight, he has finished his course, he has kept the 
faith; henceforth there is laid up for him a crown of 
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall 
give him at that day.' L * * * and I would join in 
sending our warmest Christian love to him, with the 
earnest prayer that the God of all grace, the Father of 
mercies and the God of all comfort, may sujjport him 
in all his tribulation, and continue to him a rich supply 
of His grace and strength, through Jesus Christ 

" I am truly glad to hear such cheering accounts of the 
scliools; also, that Dr T * * * is working so faithfully. 



104 LETTERS. 

Our Saturday evening meetings continue, by God's bless- 
ing, to prosper ; from a very humble commencement, our 
number has increased to ten. Surely we have ample 
cause for gratitude that the Lord has blessed us in such 
a manner. 

" Once more, good-bye. The Lord ever bless and keep 
you and yours. — Your sincere and affectionate friend, 

"M. M. H." 

The next letter from Maxy Hammond contains an ex- 
tract relating to the last moments of a lady, which sets 
forth so vividly the triumph of faith over death, that we 
cannot refrain from introducing it: — 

"MoNTEEAL, April 21, 1847. 

" My dear Mother, — I am very anxious to 

witness the breaking up of the ice in the river. I believe 
it is a magnificent sight. You can fancy what the effect 
would be, when you know that the St Lawrence is very 
narrow just oj^posite Montreal, with a stream running six 
or seven knots an hour. When the ice above has broken 
away, it is carried on by the current, until it receives a 
check in the narrow part opposite the town. When it 
reaches this it gets jammed up, so as to form a complete 
barrier, and all tlie ice continues to push on until it meets 
the barrier; and it is then thrown up into all sorts of 
shapes in large masses, until the weight behind forces all 
before it, and it floats away towards the sea. Some years 
ago an event occurred, Avhich gives some idea of the 
strength and weight of this moving ice. A house had 
been built too near the edge of the river, the water rose 



FAITH TRIUMPHANT. 105 

rapidly, and the ice too: the jDOor inmates were sitting 
at dinner, but before they had time to escape, the whole 
house was carried down with the torrent, and every soul 
perished 

" My friend, Miss M * * *, about whom I wrote, has 
been taken to her rest. The account of her last moments 
was most interesting to me. I will copy an extract of a 
letter I received from Halifax: — 

" ' About half-an-hour before she fell asleep the power 
of speech seemed to have been given to her; she asked her 
aunt, "What does the doctor say?" "Why, dear, he does 
not think you will see the morning."' " Not see the morn- 
ing? die to-night? How short the time! Kaise me up." 
She then had all called about her, i e. her father and 
sisters. Her address was principally to the former. " This 
can't be death," she said, " I feel no pain, nothing, only I 
feel very cold. Papa, it is not by works we are saved, it 
is only by the blood of Jesus. His work is a finished 
work. But you appear to understand what I have so 
often told you. How often have I prayed when we were 
all together in church, that we might also be all together 
in heaven ! " Her father said, " You have always been an 
innocent and dutiful child." "Oh, father, no! even if so, 
that could not save me, it is only the blood of Jesus." 
From her voice and appearance her father thought she 
was better, and said, " You may go by and by to R * * * 
and see T * * *." "R * * *!" she replied, " I am gomg 
up, and you may follow me." She then said, "I am very 
sleepy; lay me down, and if I awake not here, I shall 
awake somewhere else'' She awoke not here, but literally 
fell asleep in Jesus, to awake only with Him/ 



106 LETTERS. 

" I think you will say that this long extrpict is worth 
being recited. It is very cheering and encouraging to 
hear of these thine^s, and they are living proofs of the truth 
of God, that He will be faithful to His word, and that He 
will give peace, even on a dying bed, to those that put their 
trust in Him. She was one who, in her health and 
strength, seemed to have but one object in view — the 
glory of God — and but one motive and principle in her 
heart — the love of Christ; and indeed her end shewed 
that, like Mary, she had 'chosen that good part which 
should not be taken away from her.' .... May God ever 
bless and keep you ! — Ever your affectionate son, 

«M. M. H/' 

Some insight into Captain Hammond's life and cha- 
racter at this period is given in the following extracts of 
a letter from Mrs W * * * : — 

" In the beginning of 1846 Captain Hammond came to 
Montreal. That winter, we had a prayer meeting that 
took place each fortnight at our house; chiefly attended 
by the military, and which sometimes numbered over 
twenty. I remember the first time he was asked by my 
husband to take his part ; which he did after a little hesi- 
tation, and with an earnestness and solemnity which struck 
us in so young a man. And frequently Mr W. used to 
say to me, ' Oh ! if every Christian man adorned the doc- 
trine of God his Saviour as Captain Hammond does, in 
walking circumspectly and giving no occasion to the 
enemy !'.... We had very pleasant country quarters in 
the neighbourhood, to which he walked sometimes to 
breakfast, or in the evening, when he was always hailed 



ANECDOTE OF A TKIVATE SOLDIER. 107 

with delight, especially by a little girl who was living with 
me, M. R, w^ho had some secret treasures of birds' nests 
to shew him. This child died afterwards, but ever spoke 
of him and what he said to her with so much affection; 
giving good hope that God had blessed the nursing of the 
good seed in her young heart. A remark of his recalls 
itself at this moment. He was speaking of one in whom 
we were mutually interested, and he said, 'I should be 
more satisfied if I saw a deeper conviction of sin. But 
why should I set up a standard, when I remember how 
God dealt with me? It was so gradual, that not until I 
had been drawn to the Saviour by cords of love, did I know 
or feel anything of the bitterness of sin.' " 

During the time that Captain Hammond was at Mon- 
treal, his attention was drawn to a private in the Rifles, 
named M « * *, who was dying of consumption in the 
hospital. From his teaching this poor man heard and 
drank in the o-lad tidings of salvation in Christ Jesus. 
*' Speedily" (we quote the words of a comrade), " the sick 
man rejoiced in the full assurance of his acceptance; and 
sending for comrade after comrade, not only proclaimed 
the o'ood news, but uro-ed each and all to hasten to the 
loving Saviour." The fatal disease went on. In the weary 
sleepless night, as the patient tossed upon his pillow, the 
stillness was broken by the sentry's challenge, and the 
familiar "All's well" fell on his ear. The dying soldier 
looked up — "All is well!" he said — ''All is well!" he 
faintly repeated. A very short time after the "Dead 
March in Saul" was heard; and a funeral j^arty with arms 
reversed passed along the streets of Montreal. — Ail was 
well with M * « *. 



108 LETTERS. 

Another private of the Eifles thus alludes to M * * *,i 
death : " You will have heard of the death of M * * *. 
Oh ! he was truly happy ! And what do you think it arose 
from first? Captain Hammond took him into the surgery, 
and there knelt down and prayed for and with him. He 
said until that took place he never thought of prayhig, or 
if he had, he would not have done so. But when he saw 
a gentleman was not ashamed to kneel with a private 
soldier, he said, surely he need not be ashamed of kneel- 
ing by his bedside, where all were his equals, and from 
that time he was continually holding communion with his 
God. He was repeatedly speaking to S * * *, and all 
the others too, and, in fact, made them promise to com- 
mence a new life. He said to them, ' Men may laugh at 
you, but they can't strike you.' " 

The earnest tone of exhortation, and the measure of 
solemn truthfulness, the expression of a deep consciousness 
of the arduous nature of the Christian warfare, can hardly 
fail to commend itself to the reader of the following letter. 
It is addressed to an old brother officer and very intimate 
friend, who had become a soldier of the cross, almost con- 
temporaneously with Mazy Hammond : — 

"To Captain V\' * * *, — • 

''28th June, 1847. 

" My dear W * * *, — I am now beginning to realise 
more fully that you now no longer belong to the Rifle 
Brigade. Until now it had appeared as if you were only 
on leave. But I begin to feel that our separation is com- 
plete. But oh ! what a blessing and comfort it is to feel 
that, though some thousands of miles are between us, we 



PATIENT CONTINUANCE. 109 

can be very near in spirit ! Even now my thoughts are with 
you, while I am writing this. I can't tell you how much 
I prize your letters, or how much I enjoy receiving them. 
8t John said, that he had no greater joy than to see that 
his children were w^alking in the truth ; and I am sure I 
can say, I have great joy in hearing the same thing of my 
brethren in Christ. I delight to think of dear friends as 
part of the one family of whom Jesus is the Head and 
Elder Brother. Now we are separated from one another and 
scattered to the four winds of heaven. But still we know 
and feel that we belong to the family, although so dis- 
persed. Soon will the Father gather us all home. Soon 
shall we sit down together at the marriage-supper. Would 
it not cheer us in our pilgrimage, if we could more faith 
fully look forward to this blessed reunion? Would it not 
assist us in walking with a lighter and brisker step, and 
would it not urge us to press towards the mark more ear- 
nestly and more vigorously? I don't know how it is with 
you, but I have found it most difficult to maintain that 
earnest, patient walk by faith, which, as consistent Chris- 
tians, it is necessary that we should daily follow. 

"I was much struck with a remark in one of dear Mrs 
L * * *'s letters, which explains what I mean. She 
says, 'The promise of eternal life is to them who, by 
patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory,' &c. 
She adds, ' It is just this ixdient continuance which I find 
so difficult. The humility, and patience, and self-denial, 
to be practised day by day, is what is so hard to perform.' 
I, too, can most feelingly respond to these observations of 
our Christian friend. It seems to me the most difficult 
part of our Christian course. The Scripture speaks of this in 



110 LETTERS. 

many places : ' Abide in nie ; ' ' If ye continue in the faith ; ' 
* Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown 
of life ; ' ' He that overcometh ; ' with many others shew- 
ing the same thing. It would be very easy to be very 
religious, very zealous, very earnest for a little season, or 
now and then only. But this religion is not the religion 
of Jesus. The cross must be taken up daily. Self-denial 
must be habitual. Prayer and watchfulness must be with- 
out ceasing. Shi must be striven against constantly. Satan 
must be resisted at all times and in all places. Love in 
its broadest sense, and faith, must be an habitual exercise. 
The Christian must never lay aside his armour, nor quit 
the contest until the victory is gained. Surely then he 
has ' need of patience to run the race that is set before him, 
looking unto Jesus.' 

" You will have heard of Mr C * * *'s death ere this 
reaches you. I have heard no particulars as yet, but I 
doubt not he departed in peace, bearing testimony to the 
faithfulness of that God and Saviour in whom he put his 
trust 

" The regiment is woefully dark in spiritual things, and 
abounding in vice and drunkenness. The school is oetting 
on pretty well ; one child, S * * * F * * *, is, I think, 
taught of God 

" The emigrants are pouring in here by thousands ; 
bringing in their train, misery, starvation, filthiness, disease, 
and death. The deaths average twenty a-day — typhus 
fever. 

'' And nov/, dear V\^ * * *, adieu ; the Lord bless you, 
and make you a blessing. — Your friend and brother in 
Christ, M. M. Hammond." 



EMIGRANT FEVER. J 1 1 



CHAPTER VIII. 

*' What varioiTS scenes, and oh ! what scenes of woe. 
Does morn awaken with her struggling beam ! 
The fever'd patient, from liis pallet low, 

Through crowded hospital heholds it stream; 
The debtor wakes to thoughts of gyve and jail; 

The love-lorn wretch starts from tormenting dream; 
The wakeful mother, by the glimmering pale. 
Trims her sick infant's couch, and soothes his feeble wail." 

Scott. 

The year 1847 was one marked by heavy judgments and 
distress of nations. Foremost among them in woe stood 
unhappy Ireland. "Through the wrath of the Lord of 
hosts, the land was darkened, and the people became as 
the fuel of the fire/' In the morning her cry went up, 
" Would God it were evening I " at even, " Would God it 
were morning ! " Desolate, in her straitness and in her 
distress, she poured forth her children from her unhappy 
shores to seek for rest in another land. Upon her the 
awful judgment pronounced against Jerusalem seemed 
almost to have fallen — " Though Moses and Samuel stood 
before me, yet my mind could not be towards this people: 
cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. And it 
shall come to pass, if tbcy say unto thee, Whither shall 



112 EMIGRANT FEVER. 

we go forth? tlieii thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the 
Lord, Such as are for death, to death ; and such as are for 

the famine, to the famine Thou hast forsaken me, 

saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will I 
stretch out my hand against thee; I am weary with repent- 
ing." Yet not by flight was the chastisement to be escaped. 
The fatal poison circulated in the frames of these devoted 
people, and lurked in the rags that hung about their wan 
and wasted forms. With the arrival of the first emi- 
grant ship at Grosse Isle, the scourge appeared anew; 
and some idea of the miserable condition Gi these unfor- 
tunate people may be gathered from the following de- 
scription : — 

" Montreal, June 28, 1847. 
" The poor emigrants have been passing up the country 
for the last three weeks. Death, disease, starvation, and 
misery, seem to be the unmerciful attendants of these 
people wherever they go. The deaths at Grosse Isle (the 
quarantine station) have been very numerous, averaging 
from sixty to eighty daily. Here, too (at Montreal), want 
and typhus are carrying them off like sheep. Whole fami- 
lies, in several instances, have been swept away, leaving 
perhaps one to tell the tale. They send them as quickly 
as possible up the country; but it is the opinion of the 
principal medical man who attends them, that not more 
than one-half will ever reach their journey's end. Is it 
not sad ? These poor creatures are living in sheds that 
have been roughly put together for this purpose. None 
but the sick are allowed to remain above a day or two. 
These sheds are, in fact, so many hospitals crowded with 



THE FEVER SHEDS. 113 

sick ; so crowded are they, as to be obliged to put three 
in a bed. 

" I went once to see these places (we have since been 
forbidden to go near them), and never shall I forget the 
si,^ht. The room I saw was crowded with these poor 
creatures, some of them lying two in a bed. They were 
in every stage of disease, from those who just came in, to 
those who were on the point of expiring. Outside the 
door was a pile of coffins of different sizes, all ready to 
receive the dead. Two were nailed up waiting for the 
dead-cart to carry them off; and all this in sight of the 
patients. The doctor begged me to walk through the 
other wards, where the worst cases were, but I declined. 
The grey nuns were wonderful in their energy and activity. 
The doctor said that one of them was worth six of our 
women. I have told you this, that you may know what 
is going on at Montreal with regard to the ill-fated Irish. 
Don t fear my catching the fever. I am not going near 
the sheds again — being forbidden — even if I wished it. 

" And now, my dearest mother, good-bye. I delight to 
think of you all, and particularly before the throne of 
grace. I need not ask you to do likewise. — Ever your 
affectionate son, M. M. H." 

To these scenes of suffering many noble-hearted men 
hastened. The minister of Christ was there, to speak of 
One who, at that hour of death, could bestow the gift of 
eternal life. The sister of mercy was there, to lift to the 
parched lips the cup of cold water, that should " by no 
means lose its reward.'' The faithful servant of Christ was 
there, who, for his Master's sake, cheerfully volunteered, 

H 



114 EMIGRANT FEVER: 

and yielded his Kfe in a service not less perilous than the 
plain of Balaklava or the fatal Redan. 

Maxy Hammond was very early precluded from sharing 
in these labours, by a stringent order which prohibited 
any officer from visiting the sheds, lest the infection 
should be communicated to the troops. Nevertheless, 
though prohibited from attending himself, he aided the 
sufferers, as far as possible, both by providing them with 
necessaries, and by making arrangements for their com- 
fort. A noble trait was shewn, on this occasion, by the 
men. The various companies kept back daily a propor- 
tion of their rations for the use of the sick; and this 
example was followed by the o2d Regiment, and two com- 
jianies of artillery, then in the garrison; the officers pro- 
viding a cart for the conveyance and distribution of the 
meat among the sick. 

" The French people," wi^ites a private rifleman, " when 
they met Captain Hammond in the streets, hearing of his 
kindness to the poor, would uncover their heads, and in- 
voke blessings upon him." Pour years afterwards, when 
a rifleman was in the market-place at Kingston, some 
country people, observing the uniform, came up and in- 
quired of the wearer whether the same kind officer was 
still in the regiment who had saved their lives at Montreal. 

One by one, those whose duty and zeal led them to the 
fever-sheds, were stricken themselves, and among them 
two of Maxy Hammond's own friends; and at their bed- 
sides, night after night, for a long and harassing period, 
he watched and nursed them with a brother's tenderness 
and love. The two friends who sickened were Mr L * * *, 
of H. M. Royal Navy, and Mr W * * *, the clergyman 



THE FEVER SPREADS. 115 

of Montreal. Maxy alludes to their illness, in a letter 
dated July 20, 1847:-— 

" My deae Father,—. .... I fear my note to you 
by the last mail may have caused you some anxiety. 
Thanks be to God, I am in no way the worse for my 
attendance on my sick friends. You will see an account 
of their death in the 'Berean I send. Upon the arrival of 
the emigrants, Mr W * * * organised a small band from 
among his congregation to attend to the wants, temporal 
and spiritual, of the sick and dying at the emigrant sheds. 
They were indefatigable in their exertions, until, one by 
one, they caught the fever raging among these unhappy 
people. Mr L * * * was the first who was laid up. His 
illness lasted thirteen days, and ended in his death. During 
this time I was constantly with him, by day and night, 
until his removal. Mr W * * * was taken ill about 
three days after Mr L * * *, and died about three days 
after Mr L * * *. I was with him during the last !hree 
days of his illness. Of the rest of the party who visited 
the sheds, one more died, and three more caught the fever, 
but are recovering. The dispensation is a heavy one, and 
is deeply felt by the congregation. It appears strange 
that these men should be taken away in the midst of 
usefulness, falling victims to their devotedness to their 
Master's cause, and their love to their fellow -creatures. 
We can only say, ' It is the Lord, let him do what seem- 
eth him good/ Both, however, died in the full and cer- 
tain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, through our 
Lord Jesus Christ; and, therefore, the loss is ours, not 
theirs— for ' it is better to depart, and be with Christ.' 



116 EMIGRANT FEVER. 

" Little did we, on this side the Atlantic, think last winter, 
that we should suffer in common with the poor Irish. 
But it has proved an awful summons to the Canadian 
cities, and we cannot feel but that the hand of God is 
stretched out against us, calling loudly to us to consider 
our ways. All here suffered alike, Protestants, Koman 
Catholics, ministers, Eoman Catholic priests, under the 
heavy scourge ; while the fatal infection has been carried 
into the very heart of the cities —Ever your affec- 
tionate son, M. M. H." 

In a sermon, preached at Trinity Church, Montreal, the 
following testimony is borne to the " martyr's spirit" mani- 
fested by these few friends who, with Maxy, attended Mr 
W « * * in his last illness : — 

" No small portion of the martyr's spirit is required to 
face infectious and malignant disease ; to look upon the 
agonies of the dying ; to behold their fearful struggles and 
contortions, and listen to their delirious ravin o's. No 
small portion of the martyr's spirit is required to witness 
these proofs of intense and sudden suffering, to feel around 
the breath of death, to know that you are braving him, 
as it were, in the midst of his kingdom, and that in a 
moment you may be one amidst the raving and the dying. 
No small portion of this spirit is required to witness and 
to know all this ; and yet calmly and fearlessly to go on 
with duty, resolutely and perseveringly to enter the abode 
of infection and minister to the wants of the dying ; to 
see it fastening upon and pulling down one after another 
of those who, in their career of benevolence and duty, dare 



SELF-DEVOTION. 117 

its power; and yet to persist in lifting the cup of water to 
the parched lip, in alleviating the sufferings of the wretched, 
in kneeling by their side, and telling them of the mercy of 
God and the all-sufficiency of Jesus. It is not an easy 
matter thus to act in the midst of all this danger and 
death, and without any earthly motives to prompt to the 
self-devotion and the sacrifice. We can see sufficient 
moving power only in the spirit of the gospel and the 
love of God." 

A note states that the death of Mr W * * * had been 
followed by that of four other clergymen of the diocese, 
the Rev. W. C * * *, the Rev. Dr D * * *, the Rev. 0. 
M * * *, the Rev. R A * * *. All died of typhus fever, 
contracted in attendance at the emigrant sheds. Soon 
after the publication of this sermon, the death of the Rev. 
W. T * * * followed, from the same cause; in all, with 
the Rev. Mr W * * *, six clergymen. 

In connexion with Captain L * « *'s death, an inte- 
resting incident is related in a letter from Mrs W * * *: — 

" I remember we were sitting round the fire after having 
sung the hymn, ' Not all the blood of beasts,' to an old 
minor tune. Captain L * * * said to Captain Hammond, 
* I have a curious fancy concerning that hymn. I should 
like it sung by six young men as they lower me into the 
grave.' We little thought that it would so soon be put into 
execution, for it had passed from my mind, until Captain 
Hammond mentioned having carried out his wish.'' 

A little later, Maxy Hammond, writes from Toronto, 
August 26, 1847:— 



118 EMIGEANT FEVEE. 

" My dear Mothee, — . . . Here the fever sheds are 
in the centre of the town ; about six hundred are sick, 
and you may see them, as you pass, lying in their beds 
within a few feet of the road-side. The disease is confined 
almost entirely to the poor emigrants themselves, and, 
through mercy, has not extended itself to the town's 
people. The great thing to keep ofi* the infection seems 
to be cleanliness and ventilation ; and that they have tho- 
roughly established." 

The fever continued during September. He says on 
the 22d :— 

" The emigrant fever has not begun to abate, though, 
perhaps, it is not so violent as during the dog-days. I 
fear it will continue till the winter sets in. I have to 
mention the loss of another friend, Mr D * * * of St 
John's. He also died of typhus contracted during his 
attendance on the emigrants. I send you a paper contain- 
ing a faithful sketch of his character." 

On the same subject he says, in a letter to an old 
brother officer: — 

"ToEONTO, August 25, 1847. 
" My deae W * * *, — ^You liiay perhaps have heard 
from L * * *, or seen in the papers, that disease has 
been committing its ravages to a fearful extent in Mon- 
treal; chiefly among the miserable emigrants; but also 
among those faithful few who have hazarded their lives 
for the sake of ministering to the wants of the sick i nd 



SELF-DEVOTION. 119 

dying. Amongst these, two very dear friends of ours, Mr 
A\^ * * * and Mr L * * *, fell victims to their zeal and 
love. Mr L * * * was the life of our little band ; full of 
love, and faith, and zeal for the cause of God. He was 
one of those bright ones who, like Henry Martyn, seemed 
to realise in a more than ordinary degree the depth and 
height, the breadth and length of the love of Christ : and 
whose heart seemed at all times to be filled with holy joy 
and affection. It was his meat and drink to do his Mas- 
ter's will. Soon after the arrival of the emigrants he 
became deeply interested in their pitiable condition, and 
used to spend whole days at the sheds, administering food 
and medicine, listening to their tale of sorrow, and giving 
advice or assistance, as it lay in his power. Eor some 
weeks he continued exerting himself indefatigably in this 
manner, until at last he himself caught the fever, and was 
laid upon a bed of sickness, from which he never rose. It 
was my privilege to be with him constantly day and night 
(except when obliged to take a little rest) from the com- 
mencement of his illness till his death ; and I feel how high 
an honour it was to be permitted to give the cup of cold 
water to a dear brother for Christ's sake. At first we were 
not seriously apprehensive about him ; but day by day the 
symptoms grew more alarming, until at length all hope 
was abandoned, and he sank into his eternal rest, after 
having been thirteen days ill. It was a trying time, and 
one which, I pray God, I may never forget. But we did 
not sorrow as those without hope, for we knew that his 
death was but the entrance to eternal life. 

" Almost at the same time that Mr L * * * was taken 
ill, Mr W * * * was also laid by. At fir^t the medical 



120 EMIGRANT FEVER. 

men were quite sanguine ; but, alas ! their hopes proved 
false, and he followed his friend and companion L * * * 
within three days. I was with him during the last three 
days ; but he was then quite delirious, and did not once 
sjieak. He also contracted the fever by attending the 
poor emigrants. 

''The next death was j)oor Colonel B * * * (Rifle 
Brigade). I have no doubt L * * * has, or will, send 
you full particulars of this his joyful death. And lastly, 
the death of poor * * *, cut off in the flower of his days. 
His death made a slight impression at the tune ; but, like 
the early dew and the morning cloud, it soon passed away, 
and is now, to all appearances, almost forgotten. 

" But enough of these tales of death and woe 

Let us continue to pray for one another, and let us, in the 
strength of Christ, hold fast the profession of our faith 
without wavering, and endeavour to get nearer to Cod 
and enjoy more uninterrupted communion with Him. — 
Your affectionate friend in the Lord Jesus, 

*'M. M. Hammond.'' 

The following account of the last hours of Mr L * * * 
were written, at the request of a friend, shortly after this 
by Maxy Hammond : — 

"Montreal, ISth July, 1847. 
" It was my painful privilege to be much with our dear 
friend during his illness until his removal. During that 
time but little passed between us in the way of conversa- 
tion, as directions had been given by his medical atten- 
dants, that he should not be spoken to more than was 



MR L * * *:> ILLKESS. 121 

necessary. But there are a few remarks which were made 
during the time he possessed his reason, which, I cannot 
but think, Avill be found very precious, by those who knew 
and loved him, and who are left to mourn his loss ; as 
they serve to shew the quiet peace, and cahn composure, 
which he possessed in the midst of much bodily pain and 
suffering, resting on the promises of God, and relying, 
with full confidence, on the finished work of Christ. 

" I did not see our dear friend until three days after the 
commencement of his sickness ; not having heard that he 
was ill. On Friday, July 2, I visited him for the first 
time, and had a lengthened conversation with him, chiefly 
with regard to his temporal affairs. On my entering his 
room, he stretched out his arm, and taking me by the 
hand, said, 'Well ! you see I am laid by: it is the Lord.' 
After answering a few questions about his illness, we 
spoke of religion. He seemed deeply to feel what he said ; 
clasping his hands together, he repeated very slowly, 'I 
hope I am not deceiving myself, I hope I am not deceiving 
myself, but I know that I am a poor sinner.' I remarked, 
* What a blessed thing it is to feel that, and to be enabled 
to. look to Jesus for pardon and salvation !' ' Yes,' he re- 
plied, 'What should I do ivithoiit Christ nowV with 
great emphasis. I then mentioned the remark of a friend 
of mine, now gone to her rest, who, on her death-bed, said, 
'This is no time to seek the Saviour; I thank God I have 
found Him.' ' Yes,' said he, " Whom having not seen we 
love.'" I finished the verse. He interrupted me, saying, 
'No, I have no joy, no rejoicing ; but I am quite con- 
tent, quite resigned: I said, ' I was thinking on my way 
here of that verse which you mentioned once to me as 



122 EMIGRANT FEVEE. 

having given you comfort for several days on a fonner 
occasion; itv^as, "In the multitude of my thoughts within 
me thy comforts delight my soul" (Ps. xciv. 19).' * Well,' 
he replied, 'it is the paucity of my thoughts now ; but 
there is one verse which I have found very precious.' I 
asked what it was. ' Into thy hands I commit my spirit. 
Thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth.' ' There,' 
he said, ' is my comfort and my hope — the truth of God. 
The covenant is based upon that truth, and is "well or- 
dered in all things, and sure.'" Speaking of death and the 
prospect of separation from his wife and family, he said, 
' In a worldly point of view, it appears of great importance 
for my family's sake that I should hve ; but I bless God 
I have not a care or an anxious thought on the subject: 
I can commit all into His hands/ 

" From this time to the time of his death, I spoke but 
little to him except when necessary. But there are several 
remarks, at different intervals, which spoke tlie Christian 
principle within, and which shone so highly in his whole 
walk and conversation during health, to the praise of the 
grace of God. He seemed deeply sensible of the kindness 
of his friends and the attention shewn him; frequently 
thanking them, and apologising for giving trouble. On 
one occasion, when he required a handkerchief, I gave him 
mine; he said 'God is love; and he that dwelleth in. love 
dweUeth in God, and God in him, and His love was mani- 
fested in His sending His Son to die for sinners.' At 
another time, he seemed sorry to give me trouble, and 
said, 'But it is for the sake of Him who said " I thirst !"' 
Once, when rendering him some assistance, he said, 'Dear 
brother, the Lord brought us together that you might be 



MR L * * *'S DEATH. 123 

with me now;' and again, ' How shall I repay this kind- 
ness? — / cannot, but God can; He has, for He has given 
you His best gift, eternal life/ Once, when much wearied 
with pain and restlessness, he said, * that I had wings 
like a dove ! and then would I, a poor sinner, through the 
grace of Christ, flee away, and be at rest/ Making men- 
tion of his wife, he said, ' Oh ! if my dear wife was here, 
how sad she would be ! but I think it was in the path of 
duty, looking after those poor people/ I remarked, ' The 
Lord's way is often in the sea;' 'Yes,' he replied, 'He 
doeth as He willeth in heaven and in earth/ Once, when 
very weak, I heard him say with regard to his family, ' It 
is very important that I should live; but, Lord Jesus, 
forgive my sins, and if it be Thy holy will, receive me to 
Thyself/ This was, I think, the last thing he said during 
his reason. For the last four or five days he became 
delirious, and for two days previous to his death he 
scarcely spoke. I must not forget to mention his having 
said to a friend who went to see him, ' Do you find Christ 
precious to you in health ? I cannot think of Him now, 
but He is looking on me /* 

" His sufterings seemed to cease as his end approached, 
and when he died, it was without a struggle, insensibly 
passing into a glorious eternity. * I heard a voice from 
heaven, saying, Blessed are the dead which die in the 
Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they 
may rest from their labours ; and their works do follow 
them' (Eev. xiv. 13). * Be ye also ready.' 

" M. M. H." 

* *' About this time, another friend was at his bed-side. Mr L * ♦ * opened 
his eyes, gave us a beauiing smile, and said, ' We shall talk of it when it is 



124 EMIGRxVNT FEVEFw 

Another who suffered, but who recovered from the 
malignant epidemic, writes in grateful acknowledgment 
of Captain Hammond's attention: — 

" I mention, as a proof of his love to the Lord's people, 
the fidelity with which he attended his friend, and my 
father in Christ, Captai « * *, RN., during his last 
illness, occasioned by the terrible scourge, of which I lay 
sick at the same time. ... As soon as Caj)tain L * * * 
and myself were prostrated, Captain Hammond came and 
insisted on attending, I may say, both of us, although, 
more especially, the former. The risk of this was such, 
and the demand for nurses so great, that it was almost 
impossible to get adequate, or even any sort of attendance. 
Hence the merit of Captain Hammond's services was all 
the greater; and most diligently and faithfully did he give 
his services. All through many a weary night, with the 
most affectionate watchfulness, answering every request, 
and anticipating every want, did he most fearlessly, and 
in the most disinterested manner, devote himself to the 
sick It was wonderful that he escaped the disease, risk- 
ing himself as he did. But the Lord had the work for 
him to do, and selecting the fit instrument for it, then He 
spared him. Poor L * * *, however, died ; but his con- 
stant attendant, almost day and night, through an illness 
of fourteen or fifteen days, was Captain Hammond. He 
proved in a beautiful manner, how deeply he was actuated 
by that Christian love whose brightest feature is univer- 
sality. I am sure his was a love that embraced all he ever 
met with. On his visit to me, he used to offer up prayer, 
and repeat suitable passages of Scripture ; and, until I was 



NUESING THE SICK. 1 25 

quite well, he never omitted at any time to come and see 
me." 

One more testimony to this self-denying work from 
Captain P * * * : — 

" I saw him once at the bedside of Mr W * * * ; the 
poor patient in unconscious delirium. Oh ! how I admired 
him, and wondered at the power of Divine grace. His 
natural strength of character and extreme gentleness, with 
that intense love of God and man, the spring and centre 
of his renewed being, rendered him peculiarly fitted for 
such a labour of love. . . . But God alone, in the fulness 
of whose smile he now rejoices, knows what he was to our 
dear friend, that bright and shining light, dear L * * * I 
He passed whole nights alone with him during the short, 
but terrible period of his illness." 



126 USEFULNESS. 



CHAPTER IX 

MMnm. 

** Go labour on ! spend and be spent. 

Thy joy to do thy Master's will; 
It is the way the Master went, 
Should not the servant tread it still ] 

*' Toil on — faint not — keep watch and pray. 
Be wise the erring soul to win ; 
Go forth into the world's highway. 
Compel the wanderers to come in." 

BONAR. 

In the early part of August 1847, the battalion was moved 
from Montreal to Kingston and Toronto. Soon after 
their march Captain Hammond writes to one of his inti- 
mate friends : — 

"August 14, 1847. 
"My dear P * * *, — I am truly thankful to be once 
more settled, and the more so as I have felt that the bustle 
and confusion of the march was not congenial with spi- 
ritual things. I speak this to my shame, as no change of 
outward circumstances ought to interrupt our communion 
with Cod. And now I am picturing to myself a nice 
quiet time, with nothing to interrupt my retirement ; but. 



MAJICH TO LACHINE. 127 

I dare say, I shall find as many tliincrs to distract here, as 
at Montreal After taking leave of you, and the rest of 
* the brethren,' we continued our trying march to Lachine. 
Most trying it was, as I can speak from painful experience, 
having carried a pack from the time I left you. The day 
was very close, and the men unaccustomed to marching. 
The consequence was, they dropped to the rear by scores, 
unable to go on. We succeeded, however, in getting all 
safe on board the steamer 

" I miss you all very much, and now that I am sepa- 
rated from you, I feel how unthankful I have been for so 
great a privilege as I have enjoyed in being amongst you 
so long. I look back with pleasant reminiscence to the 
bright and happy days I have passed in Montreal, and 
with deep and mournful interest to those that were dark 
and gloomy ; but the promise is true, that ' though weeping 
may endure for a night, joy cometh in the morning.' You 
have had weeping days, and so has the little Church at 
Trinity. The days of joy are not far distant; only let us 
be faithful in waiting upon God and believing His word. 
I long to hear of you all, and my heart is often with you ; 
and when I feel cold and lukewarm, I can still say, as dear 
L * * * did, ' Well ! I am sure of this, that I love the 
brethren. ' 

" Remember my request, that I may be kept humble and 
faithful: and now, adieu; my Christian love to all friends, 
D * « *, G * * *, I * * «, &c. Grace and jDcace be 
with you all through Jesus Christ. — Your affectionate 
friend, M. M. H." 

The next letter is addressed to Dr T * * *, the minis- 



i28 USEFULNESS. 

ter at Halifax, to whose teaching he felt he owed much, 
and whom he loved and resj^ected as a father in Christ. It 
will be seen from its perusal, that a struggle was at this time 
going on in his mind, as to whether he should abandon 
his present profession for another to which he felt a strong 
calling. The letter is valuable, as an illustration of Maxy 
Hammond's entire dependence on God in all his ways. 
In every difficulty and perplexity he had recourse to 
prayer ; and then, with full assurance that the Lord 
" would inform him, and teach him in the way wherein he 
should go," he looked for God's guidance, either in the 
counsels of his friends, or in the impulse of his own judg- 
ment. 

*' To Dr T * * *. 

" Octobei' 5, 1847. 

" Our battalion has been removed from Mon- 
treal to Kingston and Toronto. I am at the latter place, 
which are the head- quarters. The remaining three com- 
panies are at Kingston. I feel ashamed at not having 
written you for so long. I must ask your forgiveness for 
this neglect. But, believe me, I have not and do not 
forget my gratitude to you, as my friend and spiritual 
pastor during my stay at Halifax. Nor can I forget 
your work of faith and labour of love among our poor 
soldiers. And, especially, I would bless God who made 
your ministering amongst us so acceptable and so useful. 
May His grace be vouchsafed to you, my dear sir, in stiU 
larger measure ; and may you be enabled to devote those 
talents with which He has endowed you more entirely to 
His service. May your own soul be abundantly watered 



THOUGHTS OF ENTERING THE MINISTRY. 129 

by the dew of His grace, while you are engaged in your 
laborious and self-denying efforts to win souls to Christ. 
Though perhaps you may see little of the fruit of your 
labours here, yet I trust you will find many at the great 
day who will be your glory and cro^vn of rejoicing in the 
Lord Jesus.'" 

After alluding to some private matters, he resumes the 
subject of his letter: — 

"And now that I am writing to you, my dear Dr 
T * * *, I wish to ask your opinion, in strict confidence, on 
a subject that has been much on my mind for some months 
past— that is, the idea of entering the ministry. This was 
first suggested to me by a friend, Mr L * * * (since 
dead of typhus fever) ; and though I did not at first think 
seriously about it, I have done so since. I have also asked 
the opinion of L * * *, and of the late Mr W * * * (our 
beloved pastor at Montreal), and Mr B * * * of Mon- 
treal; and now I should like to have your opinion, if you 
could kindly give it. I have thought seriously and prayer- 
fully over the matter in every way, and hope I am de- 
sirous to do the will of God, and to follow only that in 
the which He shall direct. The great lack of ministers 
in the Church, my belief that the opportunities of useful- 
ness are incomparably greater in the Church, and, if I am 
not deceiving myself, a desire in my heart of giving my- 
self entirely to the Lord's service, are among some of the 
reasons I would allege for desiring to enter the sacred 
ministry. I feel my omi insufficiency, but I know that 
God will give strength to do the work, and wisdom to the 

I 



130 USEFULNESS. 

foolish, and understanding^ to the io-norant, if those thino^s 
be duly sought of Him in prayer. As to my means, I 
have sufficient to make me independent as to any ex- 
pectation, in a pecuniary point of view. The question is, 
Should I be justified in giving up my present position in 
life? — i.e., Are the reasons which I can give for my desire 
to enter the ministry so strong as to enable me to believe 
that, in so doing, I should be following the Lord's will ? 
If you would kindly give me your judgment, I should be 
greatly obliged. And now, my dear sir, I must conclude. 
— With kindest remembrances to Mrs T * * * and. a J 
Christian friends in Halifax, believe me, yours affection- 
ately and gratefully, 

" M. M. H." 

Most of those fiiends whom Captain Hammond con- 
sulted, dissuaded him from taking this step; and he aban- 
doned the idea soon after, as we learn from the following 
letter: — 

" Kingston. 
" My dear M * * *, — I want to tell you what I had 
felt, and what I now feel, with regard to my entering the 
Church. I am so thankful that * * * spoke to you 
about it, as I very much wished to have your opinion; 
and, since I have heard it, I am more than ever confirmed 
in the opinion I have come to respecting it. How gra- 
ciously does God thus answer prayer, and bring about our 
desires in a manner the most unlooked for ! You are 
under a wrong impression in thinking that I first thought 
of entering the ministry during the fatal pestilence at 



THE IDEA ABANDONED. 131 

Montreal, which carried off so many faithful servants and 
ministers of Christ. It was first pressed upon me in April 
last; and, being proposed to me in this manner, I felt I 
was in duty bound to ascertain the Lord's will in so im- 
portant a matter; lest, on the one hand, I should be shrink- 
ing from my duty, as a professed servant of Christ ; and 
lest, on the other, I should blindly follow natural impulse, 
and the dictates of my own fleshly mind, in opposition to 
the leadings of God's providence. Accordingly, I wrote 
to * * * and * * *, after making it a subject of earnest 
prayer to God. All agree in advising me to remain ; so 
that I cannot, ought not, would not, act in opposition to 
the advice of so many friends — and my mind is perfectly 
at rest as to the course I ought to pursue. My way ap- 
pears plainly marked out by God's providence, and this is 
all I want to know/' 

Almost all Maxy Hammond's letters give evidence of 
the o"1ie great prevailing thought ever uppermost in his 
mind. If that one leading idea was excluded, letter- 
writing was most irksome to him. He was not, indeed, 
a bad " general correspondent," for his khid heart 
prompted him to write frequently to all who had a claim 
on his pen; but to those to whom he could unburden 
himself without reserve, with whom he could compare 
mutual wants, seek for their prayers, ask for or offer a 
word of seasonable exhortation — to such his pen was a 
ready one. He spoke out of the abundance of his heart; 
he felt that " A letter timely writ is the rivet to the chains 
of affection — the pen flowing with love." 

And of such sort are the two or three which follow: — 



] 32 USEFULNESS. 

" To Captain P * * *. 

"Toronto, October 30, ]84;7. 

" My beloved Beother, — I long to hear from 

you about your visit to dear * * *. I am sure you must 
have enjoyed it. No one can be with him without feel- 
ing how good it is for one's soul to be with one who has 
inherited so much of his Master's spiiit, and whose whole 
walk is so humble and so consistent. Oh, that that meek- 
ness, and love, and simple trust in God, which we observe 
in our fellow-men, were more imitated and more sought 
after by prayer to God ! But, above all, it is the example 
of Jesus that we should continually set before us (as your 
friend Stellebras always insists), which alone can be effec- 
tual to the transforming our minds and renewing them 
according to the Divine will. Nevertheless, we may do 
well to observe the life of Jesus in His faithful followers, 
and seek to follow them, as they followed Christ. How 
blessed it is for us to know that Jesus is our wisdom to 
teach, our righteousness to justify, our sanctijfication to 
prepare us for glory, and our redemption, in whom we 
stand complete! 

" You will have seen my name in the Gazette. Pray 
for me that, with increased influence and responsibility, I 
may have increased light and grace, with a single eye to 
the glory of God, that so my promotion may be sanctified 

and God honoured ' Call upon me in the time of 

trouble ; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me' 
(Psalm 1. 15). God is glorified when, in a season of spiri- 
tual darkness, the believer calls upon Him. — Ever your 
affectionate friend, M. M. H/' 



MUTUAL UNION IN PRAYER. 133 

To his brother E « * *. 

"Quebec, October 1847. 

"My dear E * * *, — I often reproach myself with 
neglect and idleness in not writing to you ; but I often, yes 
always, think of you and dear M * * * ; and especially do 
I delight in pleading for you both when I present my own 
poor supplications to our common Lord. Nothing brings 
you so vividly before my eyes as when engaged in prayer ; 
and I am sure that nothing acts so powerfully to increase 
our love, and strengthen the ties of natural affection. 
Though we cannot see, hear, or speak to one another, 
though we are many thousands of miles apart, yet we can 
pray for one another ; and, in so doing, who can estimate 
the amount of good that we may draw down upon each 
other's heads. Let us think of this whenever we approach 
the mercy-seat. Let us ask for a rich supply of spiritual 
blessings, and as far as we can judge of one another's pecu- 
liar wants, trials, difficulties, and temptations, let us ask in 
faith that these may be bestowed upon us out of the inex- 
haustible treasures of our Lord Jesus Christ 

" I am here on a visit to my friend L i> * *. This is 
a lovely place, the most beautiful in Canada, and I can 
assure you I have been enjoying my holidays not a little. 
The hill scenery is very fine, the weather has changed — 
cloudless skies and a refreshing air which add greatly to 
one's enjoyment, and produce high animal spirits. But 
my chief pleasure has been derived from my intercourse 
with L * * *, whose society I always value and delight 
in, more than any one I know. I look upon a real friend as 
one of the choicest blessings God has given us to enjoy, 



134j usefulness. 

and as such I would thankfully acknowledge them and 
receive them as His gifts 

" I fully expect and desire to remain in this country ; 
but it may not be so appointed: all our concerns are in 
the hands of Him, without whom a sparrow cannot fall to 
the ground — whether therefore we remain here or go there 
is a matter of small moment, for all will be well if we are 
His, if we are abiding in Him, waiting on Him, trusting on 
Him, looking to Him. I pray that wherever I am sent I 
may have grace given me to glorify His name, by living 
to Him alone. that our faith was firmer and brighter, 
and our love to Him more constant and self-denying ! 
that we could always live as seeing Him who is invisible, 
and have a single eye to His glory in all that we do ! This 
would be happiness indeed ; of which we should know 
more in proportion to the closeness of our walk with Him. 

" And now, my beloved brother, farewell. — Believe me, 
with much love, your affectionate brother, 

"M. M. H." 

The next letter is to a friend. After alluding to private 
matters, he says: — 

" May you receive grace and wisdom to adorn the doc- 
trine of God your Saviour in all things ; and, by a humble 
and consistent walk, to shew forth the praises of Him who 
has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light ! 
I daresay you will meet with trials in some shape or other, 
and where is the situation where there are none? But 
be stronfj in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and He will 
bring you safely through all. 'Looking unto Jesus, the 



BIBLE CLASSES FOK THE MEN. 



Author and Finisher of your faith/ you will be enabled to 
hold on your way; and you will daily experience more of 
the peace which He giveth. But this last will be in pro- 
portion to your prayer and constant watchfulness. 

" How strange that you and I should be talking together 
on these subjects, when we look back at ourselves a few 
years ago ! It should fill us with thankfulness and praise 
to look at the rock whence we were hewn, and the hole of 
the pit whence we have been digged. What maketh us to 
differ from what we once were ? Nothing but the sove- 
reign grace of a merciful God. Oh ! let us give Him all 
the praise, and let us prove our gratitude by giving our 
whole hearts to Jesus. . . . 

" We are getting on comfortably here, and a door of 
usefulness has been opened to us among the men. On 
Sunday and Wednesday evenings, we have a meeting in 
the school-room, for prayer and reading the Scriptures, 
with a few practical remarks. The meeting has averaged 
from thirty-five to forty, and we hope some souls will be 
led to Jesus by this humble means. Help us, dear brother, 
with your prayers. Go in the strength of Jesus; make 
Him your all in all — be diligent, be earnest, be watchful ; 
seek a spirit of prayer and a close conformity to Jesus in 
your mind; and remember in your prayers, for Christ's 
sake, your affectionate friend, 

- M. M. H." 

After the battalion was removed from Montreal, the 
right wing was sent to Toronto, and the left wing, to which 
Maxy Hammond was soon afterwards transferred on pro- 
motion, went to Kingston. Of his usefulness at this time, 



1-36 USEFULNESS. 

we may gather some idea from a communication furnished 
by a city missionary, who was at that time a private in 
Captain Hammond's company : — 

"Captain Hammond's appearance amongst us," the 
writer says, " revived all those, both officers and men, who 
were lovers of the Saviour. An evening-school was 
established in the fort, where six soldiers, who could neither 
read nor write, made their first effort. In the course of a 
month the number gradually increased to fifty, and, even- 
tually to near eighty men, none of whom were at first 
capable of reading the Word of God. Soon after, a pro- 
posal was made that two religious meetings should be held 
in the school-room every week — on Wednesday and Sun- 
day evenings. On hearing the suggestion, Captain 
Hammond replied, '"Yes! it is j^rayer that must bring the 
blessing do'v\Ti ;' and these meetings were soon afterwards 
established. A bugle sounded the call to the evening- 
school at half-past six, and the same sound was the sum- 
mons to the meetino:. On the first occasion, the verandah 
was lined "vvith men and many officers — some of whom 
viewed this proceeding with significant looks — and those 
who were not ashamed to confess Christ before men passed 
on through the barrack square, thus evidencing the sin- 
cerity of their faith."" 

Captain Hammond's attention was next turned to the 
suppression of drmikenness. 

" For this noble purpose," the same writer continues, " he 
procured competent lecturers on * temperance,' the result 
of which was, that many of the men relinquished, and 



ENDEAVOUKS TO SUPPRESS DRUNKENNESS. 137 

never resumed the use of intoxicating beverages. In 
addition to this, reading-rooms were established — a supply 
of books procured — and prizes were given for the regular 
attendance of the men at the evening-schools. For all 
these various objects, funds were provided from Captain 
Hammond's purse. 

"Further," the same pen continues, "the amount of 
spiritual good among the rich, and temporal good among 
the poor, effected in the parish and city by Captain Ham- 
mond, during our stay there, can only be fully known at 
the Great Day. Through his instrumentality the church 
itself, as well as the ground connected with it, was put in 
order, and the clergyman's house provided, and the school 
greatly assisted. Captain Hammond rose early, and after 
spending some time in private, called in his two servants 
to family prayer. At nine o'clock on Sabbath mornings, 
he went into the children's school; and, after marching his 
company to the garrison church, proceeded to the hospital, 
where he would conduct a service in some one of the 
wards. His influence probably had considerable effect 
among the men in checking desertion. Although for nme- 
teen months within a few miles of the frontier, only one 
man deserted, while desertions were frequent with the men 
of other corps." 

The love of his men, and the influence he possessed over 
them — of such vital importance to an officer — may be 
assigned, not less to the spirit that entered into all their 
interests and wants, difficulties, pleasures, and duties, than 
to his other sterling qualities. His men were constantly 
in his thoughts. The army was his profession, and he 



188 USEFULNESS. 

regarded it as a mighty organ — as the police of the nation, 
the end of which was peace. It was in this light he loved 
to look at it ; and thus viewing it, he honoured and valued 
the men who composed it. They were his inferiors in 
rank, but part of one great body, and all his sympathies 
were due to them. Their higher, holier interests absorbed 
his attention, but not to the exclusion of minor efforts 
for their pleasure and enjoyment. Thus he writes : — 

"Kingston, January 19, 1848. 
" I am going to establish a reading-room, if I can get 
one, for the men, in the hope of keeping some out of the 
canteen during the winter evenings. And I have been 
thinking of getting up singing among them with the same 
view ; but this I have not yet decided upon. Idleness is 
the great snare of the soldier ; and it is a great thing to 
find anything for them that will occupy and interest them 
at the same time. The Bible-classes continue to be well 
attended, and give encouragement to hope that the good 
seed may not be sown in vain." 

And in another letter about the same date : — 

" My Christmas was a very pleasant one, &c., &c. Our 
own men had a grand dinner of capital roast beef and 
mutton, with plum-pudding in abundance. I wish you 
could have seen the splendid decorations of some of their 
rooms, with all kinds of devices in fir round the walls — 
flags, paintings, &c. ; altogether the day passed off quietly, 
and the poor soldiers were much pleased/' 

To those who were for the first time entering upon the 



INFLUENCE OF HIS EXAMPLE. 1 SD 

" new life," often in doubt, often in despondency, often in 
weakness, the counsel of such an one as Maxy Hammond 
must have been invaluable indeed. It was easy to see, in 
his pleasant ways, in his bright and radiant countenance, 
that the hope of which he spoke was no unreal, no exclu- 
sive thing, but one of which all might be partakers. And 
this peculiar happiness of manner had no small effect upon 
those who needed some stay, some encouragement in the 
outset of their Christian life. Such a helper was he to 
the writer of the annexed letter : — 

"Kingston, Canada, 8th November 1856. 
• • • • "It was in 184^8, when he was stationed at 
Kingston, that I first met with him. I had been thinking 
seriously, and was much impressed by the consistency of 
his walk and conversation. I saw in him the beauty of 
religion exemplified in a striking manner; and though per- 
haps not the direct means of my conversion, which I trace 
to my dear mother, and to the last verse of the first chap- 
ter of James, improved on me by the Holy Spirit, yet 
Captain Hammond's life had undoubtedly a great influence 
in strengthening my new and v/eak religious principles 
and convictions. AVhen I had emerged from darkness into 
the glorious liberty of the children of God, he was the first 
one to whom I communicated my changed sentiments on 
religious subjects. He took me by the hand, encouraged 
me by his advice, got me installed as a teacher in St 
James' Sunday-school, over which he was superintendent ; 
and several times in the week did he call at my office ; and, 
after office hours, bring me forth to the bedside of some 
poor sick or dying fellow-sinner. He would occasionally 



1-iO USEFULNESS. 

make me read the Scriptures, and he would engage in 
prayer; and so we went from house to house, where he 
was well known and welcomed. Thus he watched over 
me, and led me step by step, till, by God's grace, I was 
enabled to go and do likewise to the extent of my ability 
and ojDportunity. 

" I thus look back with great thankfulness to the time 
when I was privileged to be with him. I thank God con- 
tinually, from the depth of my heart, that He placed pro- 
videntially so eminent and holy a Christian as Captain 
Hammond before me as my example, at a time when the 
Christian character is set and moulded so easily. His 
words 'were like fire in my soul.' I feel the benefit of 
them now, and shall do so till I meet him in glory. They 
stirred me up, and made me run in the divine life. Yet 
he apparently knew not their secret force. And how do 
we account for it ? It was simply this : he was full of 
faith and the Holy Ghost who spoke by him. His words 
were with power. Having purged himself with the blood 
of Jesus, he was * a vessel,' as the apostle says, ' meet for 
the Master's use.' 

" In my intercourse with Christian friends, I never met 
with any one whose simple words were so effective. I 
can recollect the identical spot where we happened to be 
walking some seven years ago, when he gave utterance to 
expressions in reference to spiritual truths which are em- 
bedded in my heart and memory. The spot, when passed 
again, brings back with it the truth anew, with its whole- 
some influences, and all the associated circumstances, as 
though it had occurred but yesterday. The remark I have 
felt of most benefit to me was this : ' See that your first 



HIS VALUE AS A CHKISTIAN FEIEKD. 141 

love does not decline.' AYheii disi^osed to slacken my 
pace in the divine life, often lias this rung the alarm in 
my ears, ^nd roused me to wait on the Lord, that my 
strength might be renewed." 

This was not a single instance of his value as a Chris- 
tian friend. The close of the letter, though diverging 
from this particular point, bears so strong a testimony to 
Captain Hammond's life of active usefulness, that it should 
not be omitted : — 

" The Sunday-school, however, occupied his thoughts 
and attention very much. He was always at his post in 
time early in the morning, and in all weathers, though his 
quarters were some three miles distant. He was an 
admirable teacher, and took much pains in getting mis- 
sionary and other information to instruct the children in 
his addresses. On his leaving, the school presented him 
with a book and address. His visits to the poor were 
constant and daily; and not only did he feed them with 
spiritual food, but he ministered to their temporal wants of 
his substance. He was exceedingly liberal. Much that 
he did in this way was of course unknown, but from what 
was known, he must have distributed very largely out of 
his means. After he left, my mother, on visiting some 
poor widows, found them lamenting the loss of Captain 
Hammond, and stated that he had been their best friend, 
and had supported them. He was a decided Christian. He 
offered his Eedeemer no half-hearted service. His whole 
life and daily walk shewed that he was one of the few in 
the present low estate of the Church of Christ, who pre- 
sented themselves a living sacrifice to God, and considered 



14(2 USEFULNESS. 

this a reasonable service (Roin. xii. 1). He was not con- 
formed to this world. His views on this subject were 
very clear and strong. It was not with him, ' how little of 
the Avorld can I give up in order to save my spiritual life, 
and attain heaven at last V but, * What shall I render unto 
the Lord in return for His love V " 

The address above mentioned, as presented by the chil- 
dren of the school, is as follows: — 

" To Captain Hammond, Rifle Brigade. 

"Very dear Sir, — We, the children of the Sunday- 
school of St James's Church, Stuartville, have learned with 
great sorrow that you are to leave us. 

" We would thank God, who hath in His providence 
sent you to us; and ascribe praise to His grace, who hath 
exalted you, during the last year, to be the kind teacher 
and guide, as well as diligent superintendent, of this Sab- 
bath-school. 

" We know Him who, out of the mouths of babes and 
sucklings, perfects praise, who will ever lend a listening 
ear to the prayers even of children ; and to Him will we 
ever pray that the Lord of all power and might will have 
you in His keeping, guide you, bless you, and make you a 
blessing. 

" May we respectfully ask you to pray for us, that the 
seed which you have sown in our minds may take deep 
root, and spring up, and bear fruit plentifully, to be your 
future reward, and to the praise and glory of God's grace. 

"Signed, on behalf of the children of the Sunday- 
school, . George Coster, Stuartville, 

Kingston, Canada" 



HIS VALUE AS A SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. 143 

We may here add an extract from a letter from the 
Rev. Mr R * * *, in whose parish this school was 
situated : — 

" Having proposed that Captain Hammond should be- 
come a Sunday-school teacher, he at once consented, though 
pleading his own incapacity. After a short time, his 
qualifications becoming so apparent, and a vacancy occur- 
ring, I requested him to take the superintendence, which 
he did for two years, and by his indefatigable devotedness 
raised the school both in numbers and quality. He, in 
connexion with other teachers, regularly visited absentees, 
and won the affections of both parents and children. His 
addresses to the school were marked by great simplicity, 
faithfulness, and affection, and were therefore very attrac- 
tive and useful. We all lost much by his departure. The 
children threw together their mites, and presented him 
with a present of books. The day of presentation was a 
scene that did honour to all. Captain Hammond was 
deeply affected, while the little ones gave audible expres- 
sion to their griefs in sighs which could not be restrained 
by the teachers, and were deeply sympathised in by the 
bystanders.'' 



Ii4> CHOICE OF FfilENDa 



CHAPTER X. 

m 0f jfrimbs. 



One drachma for a good book, and a thousand talents for a true friend ; 
So standeth the market where scarce is ever costly." 

TUPPER. 



** Not with the trifler gay. 

To whom life seems but sunshine on the wave; 
Not with the empty idler of a day — 

My lot be with the wise and grave. 
With them I 'd walk each day; 

From them Time's solemn lessons I would learn, 
That false from true, and true from ialse, I may 

More faithfully discern," 



BONAB. 



The sterling character of Captain Hammond's friendship 
was especially marked. He was no summer friend. Once 
given, his love was strong, constant, and invariable. His 
nature was, it is true, especially affectionate ; but it was 
not to this alone that we may attribute that unchanging, 
ever-present feeling, which all his letters to his friends 
exhibit. It was rather, that where he saw the image of 
his Master reflected, however feebly, there he gave his 
whole heart at once. Hence the number of his friends ; 
hence the many expressions of grief that followed his 
early removal. He woiild often dwell on this peculiar 



UNION IN CHRIST. 145 

bond of love tliat unites together tlie children of the Lord, 
and contrast it with the hollow, selfish friendshi]3 of the 
world. He frequently referred to the effect of this union 
in Christ on himself. Once he said — " Before I knew the 
truth, I used positively to hate * * *. I don't think 
I used to hate many people, but I confess I really hated 
Mm — I used to think him such a regular whining Metho- 
dist." And yet this very dislike subsequently gave way 
to a close friendship, founded upon mutual love to the 
Saviour. What his friends thought of him, a few letters 
will shew. One says: — 

" His friendship I count one of the most precious bless- 
ings I have ever received from the hands of my gracious 
God and Father. He seemed sent, as I loved to think, in 
answer to the j^rayer of one just then led, with tottering 
steps, to try the pathway of light and peace. 

"I first met him on the 13th October lS4i6, soon after 
my arrival at Montreal from more than a year's sick 
leave. He was the friend I needed, the companion pre- 
cisely suited to my wants, and the yearnings of my heart. 
And during that first year of uninterrupted and close in- 
tercourse, I learned to admire, to esteem, and love him, as 
I never thought I could have loved man. Meekness and 
wisdom seemed traced in every line of his countenance. 
Truly did he walk in the light, and brightly did he reflect 
the light, gladdening and warming the hearts of some, 
and reproving sin in the consciences of others. There 
seemed around him an atmosphere of light, and love, and 
cahn joy in believing. He did not hide his light. In his 
religion was true vitality; it was essentially active and 

K 



146 CHOICE OF FRIENDS. 

diffusive. The language of liis heart seemed ever to be, 
" What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to- 
wards me?" Sweetly, irresistibly, and constantly the love 
of Christ constrained him. He was to be seen, not only at 
the sick-bed of the friend and the officer, but beside that 
of the soldier in the hospital, and the poor stranger. 
Misery, sorrow, and need of every kind, had for him 
attraction. Others saw his works, and blessed him, and 
gave glory to God ; while he, in the lowliness and loveli- 
ness of unfeigned humility, was ever ready to mourn over 
felt, confessed unprofitableness. He did much, he loved 
much ; but the Holy Spirit had opened to his heart such 
views of the love of God in Christ, that every return made 
seemed to him worse than nothing. And so, while more 
and more drawn by gratitude and love to work for God, 
and to aim at entire conformity to His will, in holiness of 
life, he brought no plea to the bar of God's justice but 
the atonement and the spotless righteousness of Christ. 
In these he rested — in these he triumphed. Oh, how he 
delighted to dwell upon the ever new theme — the love of 
Christ, and the fulness that is in Him ! A remark made 
by a dear friend at Halifax, in reference to him, has often 
been felt by me in its realisation — ' With grace in that 
heart, what a lovely Christian he would be 1 ' Yes ; a 
noble form, a lovely natural character, walking in the 
light of God's reconciled countenance. .... 

" I have been drawn into writing more than I intended 
— a poor, imperfect tribute indeed. But I could not bear 
to send to his brother those precious extracts without 
adding my feeble voice to the number of those who call 
his memory blessed. . . . , — ^Yours ever sincerely, 

"W. P * * *" 



VALUE OF HIS FRIENDSHIP. I47 

A second friend writes thus: — 

" I have many mercies to tell of since, and one which I 
feel very grateful for, that, in such a time of need, the 
Lord should have raised up such a precious friend as 
Hammond. He who is touched with a feeling of our in- 
firmities, knew that a return to a mess-table, and the 
anniversary of dearest N * * *'s illness and death, would 
be trying times to me; and He therefore sent one who 
could fully sympathise with me, and who was, by His 
blessing, a great comfort to me/' 

A third officer adds one more testimony: 

" He (Captain Hammond) was the first to take me by 
the hand, when it pleased the Lord to shew me that I was 
walking in a road that led to death. I attribute very, 
very much to dear Hammond as the instrument to my 
being enabled to cast away every weight, and the pursuits 
and pleasures which, if partaken of, are liable to choke the 
good seed. Thus, by making a clear stand, with the affec- 
tionate and anxious j^rayers and entreaties of beloved 
Maxy, another brand was plucked from the burning, and 
I thus spared to be another witness to his holy example, 
his unwearied zeal in the desire to benefit his fellow-men." 

All these friends bear witness to the consistent reality 
and earnest activity of his life. His light was not hid 
imder a bushel. Men saw his good works, and how he 
glorified his Fatlier in heaven. These letters shew how 
his friends regarded him. Upon what grounds he himself 
sought and found intimate ties, the next letter to his 
brother will shew : — 



148 CHOICE OF FEIENDS. 

" My DEAE H * * *, — It is a good thing to find out 
and get acquainted with reh'gious people wherever one 
goes. I hope I shall never forget the advice of a good 
man, a clergyman in this country, who died this summer 
of emigrant fever. When I was leaving Montreal, ' Be 
sure,' he said, ' you lose no time in finding out the good 
people wherever you go/ I hope I shall always act upon ; 
this advice, as I am convinced that, next to the Bible and.i 
the instructions from the pulpit, nothing is so good foi 
one as the society of real Christians. God has graciously 
made this provision for our wants, and so ordered it thaj^ 
we mutually receive and communicate good to one anothel. 
And as we are commanded to separate from the society of 
an ungodly world, we are thus graciously permitted to 
enjoy the pleasures of society and companionship with 
those who love the Lord. Nothing struck me more 
forcibly when my own mind was directed to seek the one 
thing needful, than the difference between the friendship 
of the world and that friendship founded on Christian 
principles, proceeding from our common union in the faith 
of Jesus. What has become of all those who professed 
friendship in the days of worldly gaiety and dissipation? 
Their friendship is like the wind — hollow, empty, and 
passing away; while that of Christians never fails, and 
neither time nor distance ever obliterates it. Every day 
shews me the necessity of making the line of separation 
between the world and the disciple of Jesus more clear 
and decided. And while in the estimation of many, one 
may be set down as morose and unsociable, and over- 
precise, I am satisfied that every step towards worldly 
compliance is a step in the wrong direction, and a step 



CHRISTIAN AND WORLDLY FRIENDSHIP CONTRASTED. 149 

towards the loss of that peace which is the result of keep- 
in^^ the conscience void of offence, and which is the only 
thing really worth possessing. The opinion of the world 
is but a light matter, and the friendship of the world is 
enmity with God. All that is in the world is not of the 
Father, but is of the world. We cannot do both — serve 
God and the world together ; Christ has declared it to be 
an impossibility. If you should seek as your friends and 
companions those who are religious, doubtless you will 
find some, though their number may be few, and they will 
be despised by the thoughtless around them; but if you 
ifiake friends of such, you will find that their friendship is 
genuine and lasting. 

" What I want myself, and what we all want, is more 
of^he love of Christ in the heart. This would make us 
out of love with the world, and we should then esteem all 
else but that which is connected with God and eternal 
things as beneath our proper regard. I am ashamed at 
feeling so little desire to live for God. When I ask myself, 
What am I doing, or trying to do, for Him? the answer is, 
' Nothing.' Instead of earnestly labouring for others, I 
am content to sit down selfish and unconcerned, so as I 
can only feed my own soul. But this is not the spirit of 
Him who pleased not Himself, and whose meat and drink 
it was to do the will of His Father. 

" I hope you are going on, dear H * * *, in the right 
way. ' Follow on to know the Lord,' and in ' the knowledge 
and love of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord.' For my 
own part, I have often to bewail, with shame and sorrow, 
that I have backslidden rather than advanced, and often 
does my ungrateful heart seem altogether to have left its 



J 50 CHOICE OF FEIENDS. 

first love. God will have us to know that our spiritual 
life is a constant uninterrupted conflict against the powers 
of darkness and the corruptions of our naturally depraved 
hearts. He will have us to learn, by sad experience, that 
without Christ we can do nothing; that our only strength 
lies in His grace, and that we can only be preserved from 
falling by constant watching, waiting, praying, and look- 
ing at Him. The eye of faith once taken away from 
Christ, and, like Peter, we shall sink in the waves of 
temptation. Oh ! may we ever look to Him. ' Abide in 
me,' says Jesus, 'and I in you; so shall ye have much 
fruit.' Are we abiding in Jesus, and what fruit are we 
bearing? And now, dear H * * *, good-bye. What 
subject should we delight to write about and to speak 
upon so much as ' the things that belong to our eternal 
peace.' God bless you, dear H * * *. Pray for your 
aff'ectionate brother, M. M. H." 

So he speaks of the blessing of Christian friendship, in 
a letter to Captain D * * * : — 

"Aprils, 1851. 

" Is not the superiority of Christian friendship made to 
appear in this respect, that it is permanent, while the 
friendship of the world is transient and uncertain. As 
members of the same family, we feel that we have all 
things in common — the same desires, feelings, hopes, joys, 
temptations ; therefore, there is perfect sympathy between 
all the members of the body." 

And so again, in one of his last letters written on his 
way out to the Crimea: — 



HIS AFFECTION FOE HALIFAX. J 51 

"One of the passengers, an invalid lady, is a true 
Christian, and I look forward to much comfort in her 
companionship. There is a peculiar pleasure in meeting 
with a servant of Christ unexpectedly.'' 

And, writing again from Malta, he says: — 

"Mr H * * * preached in his usually earnest and 
striking style. I spent half an hour afterwards with those 
dear people, and felt what I have often done before — what 
a depth and warmth there is in Christian friendship which 
we look in vain for in the world. . . . You may imagine 
also how much I miss Mrs * * * (a passenger who left 
them at Malta). To her I could speak of home, besides 
the sympathy we had in spiritual things. Don't you 
think we ought to look on these unexpected meetings with 
fellow-Christians, to strengthen and comfort our hearts in 
times of trial, as special proofs of our heavenly Father's 
love?" 

The motives from whence his friendship sprung ex- 
tended beyond persons — to places. At Halifax his new 
life began, and he always spoke of that town with the 
warmest affection. Writing two years afterwards, in 
September 184^8, to one of his friends there, he says: — 

"It is long since I, or any of us, have heard from 
Halifax. We seem almost to have lost sight of that ever 
memorable place. But I hope I shall never, as long as I 
have the breath of life, forget to plead for that place where, 
as I humbly trust, 'I was born;' and for those kind 
brethren and sisters to whose love, and counsel, and 
spiritual existence I owe so much, as the instruments, in 



152 CHOICE OF FEIENDS. 

the hand of God, by whom I believed. I love to look 
back on those blessed days of peace and great joy, of 
bright hope and heavenly desires, which a God of love 
gave me to taste on first setting out on the journey home- 
wards. Alas ! when I look within, what cause is there for 
humiliation, sorrow, and self-abasement! . . . Pardon me 
for writing thus about myself; Halifax so brings back to 
me the remembrance of the past, that I could not forbear. 
And oh ! may it said of many souls, as I humbly trust and 
earnestly pray that it may be said of me, and many 
others, in that day when the Lord Jesus makes up His 
jewels, * Lo, this and that man was born there!'" 

In a letter recently quoted, the writer goes on to say: — 

" When Captain Hammond was at Kingston, I think he 
came out most in striving to do what he could for the 
poor of the tovni. I remember hearing much of his work 
from the mouths of many of those who were afflicted, and 
on whom he spent so much of his time. I have always 
heard the most delightful expressions of their love for him. 
Many interesting cases he left for us to look after. One, 
in particular, I must give you before I conclude. A sv/eet 
little girl named Angelina, one of his class in the Sunday- 
school, was taken ill, and went into a slow consumption. 
Maxy attended this sweet little patient almost daily; 
striving to lead the mind of the little sufferer to that 
Saviour who was waiting to hear her first prayer for par- 
don and reconciliation through His blood. By little and 
little the light dawned in upon her soul ; and through the 
instrumentality of our beloved Maxy, with the assistance 



ANGELINA AND HER FATHER. 15S 

of the blessed Spirit, that little one was brought into the 
fold of Christ. But this Avas not all ; Angelina's father, 
during her illness, was attacked with dropsy, and endured 
the most intense suffering. He could not but hear the 
admonitions and messages of love which Maxy Ham- 
mond almost daily gave to his little daughter, and from 
his own lips he told me that those words addressed to 
his dying daughter, w^ere the means used to lead him to 
the same blessed Saviour. He died full of faith ; and thus 
two of one family, through Maxy's instrumentality, are 
now joining him in ascribing praise and glory to Him who 
had loved them, saved them, and now glorified them.'' 

"He also" (writes Dr M * * *) "took a very warm 
interest in a poor lad of the name of Fitzgibbon ; and was 
most attentive to him when on his death-bed. He was, I 
believe, a pupil in the Sunday-school; and his rehgious 
impressions, I think it probable, were first received from 
our dear friend Captain Hammond. I have heard a pious 
carpenter speak with much affection of his humility in 
stopping to speak to him when walking with other officers/' 



154 SYMPATHY. 



CHAPTER XL 

"As ia water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man." 
— Proverbs xxvii. 19. 

Captain Hammond's attempts as a public speaker, when 
special occasions called him into a position very foreign 
to his modest and retiring disposition, are referred to in 
the succeeding letters. 

" I believe his first attempt at public speaking was made 
at a meeting for our Church Society. We had resolved to 
visit during the winter some of our backwood parishes. 
It was with some difficulty that I persuaded him to make 
the first attempt. That was so successful, however, that, 
having arrived at a village twenty-five miles from this, at 
the meeting held in the church, he again spoke. On our 
return, he was induced to take the chair at the anniver- 
sary of our association in connexion with the Religious 
Tract Society. Few would have believed how recently he 
had become, in any sense, a public man. His presiding 
on that occasion was marked by a dignified self-com- 
posure ; and when he opened the business of the evening 
his language was so appropriate and so fluent, that none 



SPEAIvING IN PUBLIC. 155 

could have imagined their chairman to have been an orator 
of a week old." 

Allusion is also made to Captain Hammond's successful 
essays on the platform, in a letter dated January 8, 1856 : — 

" Captain Hammond," the writer says, " was an active 
member of the Committee of the Auxiliary Bible and 
Tract Society of Kingston ; and he appeared on the plat- 
form, at their anniversary meetings, to advocate their 
claims upon public support and sympathy. He, with a 
most zealous follower of Christ — Dr M * * * — were, if 
I remember right, the efficient instruments in resusci- 
tating these societies, which, before then, were compara- 
tively lifeless. He also attended the public meetings of tlie 
Church Society in its parochial associations. Wherever 
he appeared, his speeches were marked for manliness, 
fluency, and, above all, spirituality of tone and senti- 
ment. He had the gift of speaking in public with 
freedom and ease — from which, and his devotion to the 
cause of Christ, many thought that his talents were emi- 
nently suited for the ministry of the gospel.'' 

He himself passingly refers to his own feelings on those 
occasions, in a note from Kingston, February 14, 181^8: — 

" We get plenty of excellent tracts and books from the 
Religious Tract Society, of which there is a depository 
here. The branch society of Kingston has, however, been 
almost dead for the last fourteen years. They have this 
year been making an effort to revive it. A committee 



156 SYMPATHY. 

has been formed, and a public meeting held for the pur- 
pose of re-forming it. What do you think of my having 
had to second a resolution, and make a speech from the 
platform ? Fancy if you could have been there to have 
heard it ! The speech was short, and the speaker's trepi- 
dation very painful. We cannot tell, until the collections 
have been made, how far this effort will succeed ; but we 
trust something may be done — and the object is a very im- 
portant one — for this society is the only channel through 
which sound religious publications are brought amongst 
the people in these backwoods of Canada." .... 

The letter concludes: — 

" I told you of the illness of my friend, Mr Rogers. 
He is slowly recovering, but not yet able to leave his bed. 
Poor man ! no sooner are the anxieties for his own life 
concluded, than he is called upon to resign a dear child 
into the hands of his heavenly Father. The eldest daugh- 
ter, a lovely girl, caught the scarlet fever, and died after 
nine days' illness. She was the sweetest child I ever knew, 
and when I went to call there, she used to meet me mth as 
much affection and delight as if I had been her own brother. 
But, besides her liveliness of natural disposition, she was 
evidently a true lamb of Christ's flock, and, young as she 
was, she had given decided evidence of having received 
*he grace of God into her heart; so that she did not fear 
to die, but was enabled to believe that Jesus would re- 
ceive her to Himself Is it not beautiful to mtness a 
living example of that truth, that out of the mouths of 
babes and sucklings He has ordained strength?" 



INTEREST IN THE AFFAIRS OF OTHERS. 157 

Like Him who was " touched with a feeling of our infir- 
mities," and to whose image Captain Hammond strove to be 
conformed, he too, in reality, entered into the cares and 
sorrows of his brethren in Christ. Sympathy was strongly 
implanted in his nature. Even in the little concerns of 
daily life he entered readily and heartily into the hopes, 
pleasures, and wishes of others. He thought no matter 
too little for an exercise of his affection ; and speaking 
once to a brother, he seriously censured him for being ab- 
sent ; saying, that nothing chilled people so much as not 
gaining another's attention, and that few qualities were 
more productive of influence than the power of real sym- 
pathy. Of him it might justly be said that — 
" Toujours vivant dans autrui, 

Jamais I'Amiti^ sur la terre 

N'eut un plus digne sanctuaire : 

Jamais le Malheur n'eut un plus ferme appui." 
Guided by such a motive in minor matters, when real 
sorrow came his heart was touched with the keenest and 
most genuine feeling, and perhaps it would not be easy to 
find a more touching expression of genuine sympathy, 
than that which is breathed throughout a letter written 
to a friend on the death of a mother, dated Kingston, 
July 14, 1848. After referring to the accidental way 
in which the intelligence had reached him, and to his 
apparent neglect, he says : — 

" It would have been cruel indeed not to have sent some 
expression, however insufficient, of my sympathy for you 
and your bereaved father and sisters. But what shall I 
say, what can I say ? Alas ! words are not equal to bind 



158 SYMPATHY. 

up the broken heart. We turn in vain to any creature to 
supply such a gap as that which your family has now to 
mourn over. Next to a husband or wife, that of a mother 
to her children is the dearest of all natural ties. Who can 
supply her place when she is gone ? Whose heart yearns so 
tenderly towards those who are, as it were, part and parcel 
of her very being — bone of her bone and flesh of her flesh ? 
Whither, then, my beloved brother, can I look with you 
for consolation in your distress? We must look up to 
where she is gone before, beyond the world's horizon, to 
the realms of bliss, where her redeemed soul is nov/ en- 
joying the fruition of hope ; and forward to the day when 
we also shall see Jesus eye to eye ; and, in company with 
the spirits of the just made perfect, shall unite in the song 
of praise to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. 
We walk by faith and not by sight. The dispensations of 
our heavenly Father may appear dark and strange to our 
feeble faith now: the way by which He leads us to the 
heavenly Canaan is strewed with trials, afflictions, bereave- 
ments, losses, sickness, sorrows, and heavinesses; but we 
vshall see hereafter (and in some slight degree we see it 
even now) how necessary it was for us that we should 
have passed this way. We must pass through much tri- 
bulation; but how light will it appear when we enter into 
the kingdom of glory ! Weepmg may endure for a night, 
but not always — great joy is coming in the morning of 
the everlasting day. Here, we are too ready to look to 
creature comforters ; there, God will wipe away all tears 
from our eyes. I feel assured that you will have found 
Him to have been, and still to be, a very i^resent help in 
this your time of need. 



LETTER ON BEREAVEMENT. 159 

" I know not how I can better minister to you in your 
sorrow, than by trying to commend you and yours to 
Him who wept with Lazarus' friends. Jesus was em- 
phatically the man of sorrows. He drank the cup of grief 
to the very dregs. You may not find any fellow-creature 
to enter into the depth of your heart bitterness, but He 
knows all. He has a f ellow-f eehng as man — as God-man. 
He is afflicted in your afflictions. You are members of 
His body. Does not the head sympathise with the smallest 
of its own members? Surely He does, for ' he that is joined 
to the Lord is one spirit/ My prayer for you is, that you 
may know Him at this time as your comfort, whence you 
may draw consolation and grace suited to your necessity ; 
that you may so set your affections on the things which 
are above at His right hand, that present affliction, may 
appear as light when compared with that eternal weight 
uf glory; that you may be enabled to trust Him as a faithful 
covenant God, in the darkest and most trying hour; and 
that you may be purified, and rendered more like Him 
whose name you bear. But, alas, my prayers! How 
unable am I to pray even for myself, much less for others ! 
I rather need your prayers. Our great High Priest has 
your name upon His breastplate of love. He knows all 
your wants, and, doubtless, -He will supply all your need, 
according to the riches of His grace. He delights in 
dispensing His richest blessings to poor sinners of man- 
kind. To those who come to Him empty, He says, ' Open 
thy mouth wide, and I will fill it;' 'Prove me now, if I 
will not open the windows of heaven, and pour down a 
blessing upon thee, that there will not be room to contain 
it.' If we only could take Him at His word, how doubly 



160 SYMPATHY. 

happy should we be in His service ! What is not He to 
His people? As some one truly remarks, He calls Him- 
self 'I am/ What does any or all require? I am every- 
thing. Are you in sorrow? He is the God of all comfort. 
Are you in grief? He healeth the broken-hearted, and 
bindeth up their griefs. Are you sorrowing over the 
grave of a dear relative? He is the husband, father, 
friend, and brother of His people. His love far exceeds 
that of a mother to her sucking-child. May He be pre- 
cious to your soul in this season of trial ! May the eternal 
God be your refuge, and underneath the everlasting arms 
of His love, to support, strengthen, comfort, and revive 
you! 

" I hope you may be able to send me some more parti- 
cular account of your dear mother's last illness and death. 
How blessed to the mourner's heart to have a bright hope 
of the departed one ! To be able to look to the testimony 
of a life, as well as that of a dying bed, as an evidence of 
the preparedness of the soul to enter into the presence of 
God, such has been your happiness in parting from one so 
dear as your mother. What a sweet ingredient is this in 
the otherwise bitter cup ! You need not sorrow as those 
who have no hope, for 4f we believe that Jesus died and 
rose again, those also who sleep in Jesus shall God bring 
with Him.' ' Yet a little while, and He that shall come 
will come, and shall not tarry ! ' In how short a time who 
can tell? Each month, week, day, hour is lessening the 
distance between us and our Father's house. ' Now is our 
salvation nearer than when we believed.' A few more 
years, or perhaps only weeks, of conflict and struggle with 
sin and Satan ; a little more endurance of the burden 



LETTEE ON BEKEAVEMENT. ] 61 

and heat of the day; and then farewell, an everlasting 
farewell, to sin and its accompaniments — j^ain and sorrow. 
Oh! may we be stirred up by the warnings of God's 
afflictive dispensations to make our calling and election 
sure ; and may we be more in earnest in following thein, 
who, through faith and patience, now inherit the promises, 
as they followed Christ; considering the end of their con- 
versation, Jesus Christ, 'the same yesterday, to-day, and 
for ever/ How needful are all these trials to keep us in 
remembrance of our stranger and pilgrim condition 
here, and to teach us to lay up for ouii-selves treasures 
in heaven, from which neither death nor life can sepa- 
rate us? 

" I trust you have been enabled, not only to submit to 
the will of God, but to acquiesce in it from a conviction 
that He doeth all things well. That you can not only 
say, *His will be done/ but can also add with Job, 
' Blessed be the name of the Lord/ ' Now, we know in 
part' only; we do not know the reason for all that befalls. 
But that day is at hand when we shall know even as we 
are known; when we shall bless His name for every 
stroke of His rod, for every dark and trying hour. And, 
besides this, when the corn is ripe, must it not be gathered? 
Ought not the Husbandman to lay it up in His barn? Is 
there not matter of thanksgiving that a beloved object is 
beyond the reach of sin, and all the misery that is in the 
world — ' taken away from the evil to come ? ' We could not 
wish one of those clothed in white robes, who have ' come 
out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and 
made them white in the blood of the Lamb,' back again to 
this world, which lieth in wickedness. Death is gain, 

L 



162 SYMPATHY. 

indeed, to the child of God. * It doth not yet appear what 
we shall be ; but we know that we shall be like Him, for 
we shall see Him as he is.' 

" What a heavy blow this will be to all your family 1 
Your poor father! None but a husband, as he was, can 
conceive the depth of the wound caused by the taking 
down of half the tabernacle. Your sisters, too, how much 
will they feel the loss of her who was their guide and 
counsellor ! How graciously your return home seems to 
have been ordered, as though you were sent by the Great 
Shepherd to cheer your beloved mother in the passage 
through the dark valley 1 How great must have been your 
grief, in coming home, to find her so ill; and how thankful 
must you have been to have been permitted the great pri- 
vilege of seeing her once more in the land of the living ; 
and, perhaps, of administering to her temporal and spiritual 
comforts, for Christ's sake ! 

" But I must draw my letter to a close. I fear my 
attempt to speak a word in season, in your affliction, will 
avail but little. Man cannot comfort his brother in sor- 
row. But Jesus, if He will, may use the feeblest and 
most unworthy for this purpose. May He speak to your 
heart, and pour in the balm and oil of His own grace ! 
May He manifest Himself to you as He does not to the 
world ! May He cheer you with the light of His counte- 
nance ! May He direct your mind to that blessed hope of 
everlasting life which is before you ! And may He enable 
you to press forward, with renewed vigour, to the obtain- 
ing of the prize of your high calling ! 

" I will write to you again soon, but I do not feel in- 
clined to go on to other subjects now. Remember me in 



EEUNION WITH THOSE GONE BEFORE. 163 

your prayers, and believe me to be your affectionate friend 
in the bonds of Jesus Christ, 

** M. M. Hammond/' 

At a later period of his life, when his own happiness 
seemed to be complete in his marriage, and he is writing 
to a friend, herself a mourner, the power of sympathy, to 
which we have been referring, springs up, as it were, from 
the deep fountains of his own joy. Instantly he sees 
reflected there the widow's sorrow, and he places himself 
in her place : — 

" Do accept our united thanks for your good wishes, for 
I know the kind of things that you desire for us — even 
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. These 
will outlive the earthly union. For those who are united 
to Jesus will sit down at the marriage-supper of the Lamb ; 
and the union begun on earth will be perfected and per- 
petuated at that great and glorious day of our Lord's 
appearing. For that day you are, doubtless, waiting and 
longing. The sweet thought of a reunion, at no distant 
day, with the dearest of all earthly objects, must many a 
time have afforded a balm to your fainting and sorrowing 
spirit. I daresay you are familiar with the beautiful 
lines of Edmonstone's : — 

" ' The love that seems forsaken 
When friends by death depart, 
In heaven again shall waken, 
And repossess the heart/ " 



164 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 



CHAPTER XIL 

Jfntmt ill B^hxt 

" Oh ! happy rest, if once the race were run ! 
Oh ! blessed slumbers, if the fight were won ! 
Dreams that were sweet at eve, at noon were sin, 
With foes to conquer and a goal to win." 

Oxford Prize Poem. 

The year 1 848 is fresh in our recollections as ushered in 
with clouds charged with revolution and disaster to so 
many states of Europe, while in our own favoured land 
their shadow was scarcely cast. Canada, too, remained 
comparatively quiet. But in all countries the political 
horizon looked gloomy and doubtful. Of those who 
thought at all, there were doubtless many who discovered 
in those signs of the times, in those " wars and rumours of 
wars, and distress of nations/' matter for deep and solemn 
speculation. The next letter is dated Kingston, May 2, 
1848. 

"My dearest Father, — Our English mail came in 
yesterday. Your letters were full of interest to me, as I 
wished much to hear your views of the state of affairs in 
Britain and Europe, and the account you give me is indeed 
appalling. But while we tremble in looking to the things 



POLITICAL CONVULSIONS. 165 

which are coming on the earth, how thankful should we 
be that God has blessed our nation with comparative 
peace! I trust that, as a people, we shall be preserved 
from following the godless example of other nations, and 
that we shall never forget that our safety and strength 
lies in humble dependence on Jehovah's arm. It is very 
remarkable that the ten horns in Eev. xiii. 1, which repre- 
sent the governing powers in Europe, are first described 
as having ten crowns upon them, while the next time we 
read of them, in Eev. xvii. 15-17, we meet with the same 
ten horns, but without the crowns, as if the reins of o-q- 
vernment had passed from the monarchy into the hands 
of the people. Is not this a remarkable fact in connexion 
with the signs of the times in which we live ? Already 
some of the crowns have been taken away, and it seems 
probable that many others will follow ere long. 

" As yet there are no signs of any sympathetic move- 
ment among the French Canadians of the Lower Province, 
and up to this time there seems no cause for apprehension 
as regards them. They are bigoted Eoman Catholics, but 
they enjoy greater religious liberty than the Papists in 
Ireland. I believe they are a quiet and respectable peoiole, 
though inheriting the excitable temperament of their 
forefathers ; so that until a Papineau, or some other 
kindred spirit, excites them to rebellion, there is no reason 
to fear. I suspect they have not forgotten the lesson they 
learned when they failed in their last attempt. 

" But in the midst of these ' wars and rumours of wars,' 
and perplexities and distress of nations, how comforthig 
it is to know that ' all things shall work together for good 
to tlicni that love God ;' for ' the very' hairs of the children's 



166 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 

heads are all 'numbered.' So that, come what may, if we 
belong to Christ we need not be anxious about the result ; 
for we are assured that all things will be overruled for 
His glory, and the final blessedness of His Church ; while 
as individuals we can safely commit the keeping of our 
souls to Him as unto a faithful Creator. . . . 

" Wiat better things can I wish for you all than that 
each succeeding year may be bringing us nearer to that 
blessed inheritance where, through the merits of our 
Redeemer, I pray we may all at length meet to go out no 
more. In this sense the day of our death will be far more 
blessed than the day of our birth, for that will be our 
bii'thday to life eternal. — With love to all, ever your affec- 
tionate, M. M. H." 

In another letter — 

" If we are in Jesus, we may in the midst of storms lift 
up our head, for our redemption draweth nigh. Who can 
tell when the storm is to burst that is hanging now over 
all Europe? But Jesus holds it in His hands. He is 
King of kings and Lord of lords, and not one grain of His 
wheat shall fall to the ground. The day of vengeance to 
His enemies is also * the year of His redeemed' — ' to the one 
a savour of death unto death, to the other a savour of life 
unto life/" 

And so again, rather later, the political condition of 
Europe leads him to advert in general terms to the study 
of prophecy : — 

"Kingston, February 6, 1849. 
"My dear E * * *, — I have lately been reading a 



PEOPHECY. 167 

work that struck me much on the subject of the second 
advent, * Prophetical Landmarks/ by Bonar. Have you 
met with it? His argument is very powerful, and his 
proofs from Scripture very striking. I have been very 
sceptical on that subject, but I feel much shaken by what 
Bonar advances. The subject is one of the deepest im- 
portance to individual Christians and to the Church at 
large; and certainly demands one's attention, especially 
now that the signs of the times seem to portend some 
mightier convulsion than any that has yet taken place. 
The great difficulty in the study of unfulfilled prophecy 
seems to be, to distinguish between what is figurative and 
what is literal. If this could be satisfactorily determined, 
it would be comparatively easy to trace the great outlines 
and leading features of prophetic interpretation."' 

Very few who have read these letters thus far can doubt 
that Captain Hammond enjoyed a full assurance of hope; 
he knew on whom he had believed, and was persuaded 
that He was able to keep that which he had committed 
unto Him. He rejoiced to feel that he was included in 
that most precious prayer, " Father, I will that they also 
whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am."' 
And yet he felt not the less strongly the infirmity of our 
nature. " Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed 
lest he fall,'' was a thought that, constantly present, served 
to give to him that humble lowly spirit that so especially 
adorned him ; and thus he writes : — 

"Kingston, October 4, 1848. 
" My dear J * * *, — . ... I often think of the sepa- 



168 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 

ration of the little flock wliich used to meet together in 
Jesus' name the winter before last. You and * * * are 
the only two remaining in Montreal. Some are gone to 
their rest ; while some, alas ! like Demas, have forsaken us, 
having loved the present world. May we be warned by 
these ! The greater number are, I trust, treading the nar- 
row path that leadeth to eternal life. Amongst these last, 
dear J * * *, you and I are, I would humbly trust, still 
to be found. May we have grace given to us to walk 
worthy of our high and holy calling ; that so ' being faith- 
ful to the end, we may receive a crown of glory' in the day 
of the Lord ! . . . . 

" Have you called on the * * « yet ? You may speak 
without reserve on the subject of religion ; they are a family 
growing in grace, one and all. I hope you will get inti- 
mate with them 

" It was a great treat to get a peep at you on our way 
down. How blessed a thing it is that each succeeding 
meeting and parting is bringing us nearer toward that 
time when we shall *go out no moreT But with these 
carnal and earth-bound hearts, how seldom it is that we 
can rejoice in anticipation of so glorious a prospect. Alas ! 
it is too true that the cares and riches and pleasures of the 
world choke the good seed, so that it becomes unfruitful. 
And we find, from our continual proneness to depart from 
God and to return to the beggarly elements of the world, 
that, in order to our being kept from falling, there must be 
an everyday renewal of the work of grace within us: re- 
anointing of the Spirit; re-baptisms; re-conversions; with 
the necessity of again and again applying to the blood of 
Jesus for cleansing from fresh contracted guilt. May we 



CHRISTIAN DILIGENCE. 169 

then not only give earnest diligence to make our calling 
and election sure, by constant j)ersevering prayer, but may 
we be also faithful to one another, to assist one another, 
and * so much the more as we see the day approaching ! ' 
How ready should we be to do this, if our own walk was 
close with Jesus, and our hearts were in tune to proclaim 
the praises of redeeming love ; and if our own experience 
could testify more fully to the preciousness and all-suffi- 
ciency of Jesus. I feel, for my own part, that I have been 
easily content to make as low as possible a standard of 
religion, so long as I might but just be within the walls of 
the city of refuge. I hardly know when I am to awaken 
out of this sleep ; so fearful is my unbelieving heart, so 
ungrateful am I, and so little desirous of seeking only the 
praise that cometh from God. It is well, indeed, for us 
that salvation is altogether of grace, else how would our 
little love, when so much has been forgiven, testify against 
us? Let us, then, strive more than ever to walk as becomes 
the disciples of Jesus ; let us not be ashamed to be known 
in that character; let us desire to be known under none 
other ; for assuredly, if we honour God, He will honour 
us. And now as the time is at hand for our meeting with 
the men, I must conclude this hurried letter. God bless 
you, dear J * * *." — Ever your affectionate, 

"M. M. H." 

Of the necessity of daily renewal, Maxy Hammond 
writes again in the Commentary to the Ephesians before 
quoted : — 

" Religion consists not merely in outward morality and 
blamelessness of life, for this may be the natural result of 



170 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 

mere amiability of character, or the effect of education. 
There must be a renewal of the mind — a desire after and 
love of holiness — a hatred of evil — a deadness to the 
world — a longing after the things that are unseen and 
eternal In like manner Paul wrote to the Komans (chap, 
xil 2), not merely that they were not to be conformed to 
the world, but that they were to be transformed by the 
renewing of their minds. I may be professedly a follower 
of Christ, be free from outward grosser sins — I may have 
separated myself from worldly amusements, worldly com- 
pany — and yet all the time be worldly, covetous, ambitious, 
vain, and selfish. Oh ! how deeply do I need to put up 
the prayer, ' Renew my will from day to day ! ' The Holy 
Spirit must constantly renew and cleanse it, or it will 
become as a garden overgrown with weeds. I ought, then, 
constantly to watch and pray — to give all diligence, that 
my spirit may be renewed day by day, and more entirely 
conformed to the image and likeness of my Saviour ; that 
so, while living in the world, I may not be of it ; and while 
surrounded by the things that would draw my heart from 
Jesus, I may be renewed more and more in the spirit of my 
mind, and thus ' shew forth the praises ' of Him ' who hath 
called me out of darkness into His marvellous light.'" 

In the same spirit he writes again, about a year later, 
to the same friend: — 

" Kingston, April 2, 1849. 
. . . . " How much we need to exhort one another, as 
well as to watch dihgently and pray earnestly, lest we 
grow lukewarm towards our blessed Redeemer, and lest 



WATCHFULNESS. 171 

we get faint and weary in doing His will. Let iis seek 
after Paul's spirit and his fixed resolve, when he deter- 
mined to forget the things that were behind, and to reach 
forward to those things which were before, and thus to 
press, with all earnestness, towards the mark for the prize 
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I think I am 
discovering, more deeply every day, the hidden springs of 
iniquity within. What pride, what self-indulgence lurks 
in the secret recesses of the heart ! insinuating themselves 
into every action, and setting themselves in opposition to 
God. Oh ! to drink into the Spirit of Jesus. To learn of 
Him who was meek and lowly of heart — who pleased not 
Himself — ^who came not to be ministered unto, but to 
minister — who emptied Himself, and took upon Him . the 
form of a servant — and who washed the feet of His 
disciples, leaving us an example that we should be fol- 
lowers of His great humility." 

Then, again, from Kingston, November 25, 1848: — 

"My dear J * * *, — ^When next you take pen in 
hand, let there be something in the shape of admonition, 
that may set me to a deeper search into my heart, and less 
of those 'pattings on the back," with which, in your 
excessive charity, you are so ready to bolster up your 
friend. I hope that by this time the Saturday-evenings 
are once more established, not only for the good they are 
calculated to do to the souls of those who attend them, 
but as a rallying-point round which the soldiers of Jesus 
may gather, and set up their banner in the name of the 
Great Captain of their salvation. If, as you say, there 



172 FEIiVENT IN SPIKIT. 

are many who are decided, surely there would be no 
difficulty in getting them together, as we used to in 
former times. The only thing that needs to be done, is 
for some one to start it. The effort needs only to be made 
in the name of the Lord JeSus, and you will assuredly 
find that all difficulties will then disappear. 

" I am truly glad that you found your Sunday school in 
a satisfactory state. You were sent out to them just in 
time to prevent them from being scattered. You will 
find the work increasingly interesting. If we knew how 
to take a proper view of it, we should enter heart and soul 
into the work. Consider the privilege the great and 
good Shepherd confers on us — that of feeding His lambs. 
' Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these ? 
He saith unto him. Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love 
thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.' Consider the 
end in view — gathering in souls to Jesus, training up 
souls for God, polishing the pearls that will adorn the 
Redeemer's crown — and consider the certainty of success; 
* My word shall not return to me void.' ' Train up a 
child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he 
will not depart from it.' ' Cast thy bread upon the 
waters, and thou shalt find it (it maybe) after many days.' 
Remember it is not us, but God that worketh for us. It 
is 'not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' that the 
name of Jesus is magnified, and His strength will be made 
perfect in weakness. Therefore has He ' ordained strength 
out of the mouth of babes and sucklings' — that the excel- 
lency of the power may appear to be of God, and not of 
man — that He may get all the glory. Let these considera- 
tions, then, animate and encourage you in tlie trying work 



SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 173 

of teaching children. Not that I bring them forward as 
anything you do not feel; but, by way of remembrance, I 
would seek to ' stir up the gift of God that is in you," and 
call forth from your heart some of those thoughts and 
feelings which are calculated to encourage and animate 
you in doing the will of God. If we are to look for suc- 
cess in our Sabbath-school work, the spirit of prayer, 
patience, and entire dependence on the will of God, must 
be in constant and active exercise. 

" So far from your system being a bad one, I think it 
is exceedingly good; a regular course of instruction is, I 
think, desirable, as they learn little in taking scattered 
lessons in all parts of the Bible. If I was beginning in a 
school, I think I should take a lesson from the Old and 
New Testament alternately — beginning at Genesis and 
Luke, and going through the leading histories and incidents 
in the Old Testament, omitting those of less consequence 
— always explaining the Old Testament by the New, 
unlocking it by the gospel key. Have you any singing? 
If not, you would find it an excellent thing to introduce ; 
the children delight in it, and it is useful to accustom 
them to congregational singing. 

" What a solemn warning is poor * * *'s case to us ; 
how loudly it sounds in our ears to ' come out and be 
separate,' and to beware of ' touching the unclean thing ! ' 
Alas! that we should love that w^orld which hated and 
crucified Jesus — that we should seek its friendship, which 
we know to be enmity against God. Such, however, are 
our hearts — so prone to earth that nothing short of His 
grace who has overcame the world can wean and deliver 
us from its dangerous elements. 



] 74 FERVENT IN SPIEIT. 

" I have seen very little of * * * lately. He still 
affects to wear the infidel mask. I am constrained to 
think it is merely a pretext for living an ungodly life. The 
work of God appears at a stand-still among the men, and 
there are none to come out as champions for the truth. 
But we * plough in hope/ and wait in prayer for the former 
and latter rain. Help us with yours also. Oh ! that our 
eye were single to God's glory ; and our faith in the power, 
willingness, and all-sufficiency of Jesus unwavering. Let 
us pray earnestly that the winter may prove a season of 
showers of blessings from the presence of the Lord, both 
on our own souls and on the souls of others. Let us look 
to Jesus, to ' work in us both to will and to do ;' and in His 
strength, relying on His faithfulness, and resting on the 
promises, let us expect great things. 

"Wherefore has He redeemed us? That He might 
purify unto Himself a pecuHar people, zealous of good 
works. Why has He called us out of darkness into His 
marvellous light; but that we should shew forth His 
praises who has done so great things for us? For what 
has He bought us with the price of His own life's blood ; 
if it was not that we should give ourselves, and all be- 
longing to us, to Him as His purchased property ? Let 
us think, then, often seriously of our high and holy call- 
ing; children of God, disciples of Christ, lights in the 
world, purchased men, a 'peculiar people,' a 'royal priest- 
hood,' a 'chosen generation;' and then remember that, as 
the Father hath sent Him into the world. He hath sent 
His chosen ones to be His witnesses, His representatives 
upon the earth. Oh, then, let us desire to be known in 
no other character than as His disciples; let us be con- 



TEE CHRISTIAN ARMOUE. 175 

tent to be despised for Him, and that we may be enabled 
to glorify Him ; let us watch unto prayer, constant prayer, 
secret, earnest prayer, at all times, and under all circum- 
stances ! This it is that alone makes effectual and com- 
pacts together our Christian armour; without it, the enemy 
finds many a chink in which to thrust his darts. Do not 
suppose that I need not myself the same urgent exhorta- 
tions as I seem to press upon you. My very pen accuses 
me of many shortcomings, and backslidings, and incon- 
sistencies; but I would not be silent concerning duty, 
because of my failure in it. 

" And now, my brother, I commend you to God, and 
to the word of His grace. Keep near to Jesus, abide in 
Him, so shall you bring forth much fruit. — Ever your 
affectionate, M. M. H." 

" P.S. — Have you been out to the French Canadian 
Missionary Institute? I am trying to raise something 
for them at home. M. M. H." 

This last letter, as well as several which follow, all 
-written in 1848, while they continue to shew the free run 
of his pen upon the one dominant thought of his mind, 
give us as well a considerable insight into the feelings 
with which he regarded his own inner life. 

" Kingston, October 8, 1848. 
" My dear * * *, — I think my desires are less for 
the things of this world, and that it is my earnest wish to 
become daily more conformed to Jesus in heart and life. 
The language of my heart is, ' Whom have I in heaven 
but thee, and there is none upon the earth that can be 



176 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 

desired beside thee;' although, alas! when it comes to 
practice, I fall miserably short. The service of Jesus is 
indeed a happy one; and I find that my enjoyment of it 
is proportioned to the spirituality of my life^ and that in 
this way diligence in the performance of my duties is in- 
separably linked with the peace of my soul. I have been 
endeavouring to live more in the spirit of prayer, under a 
more habitual sense of God's presence, and the nearness 
of eternity. What I want is more humility and broken- 
ness of spirit, a deeper sense of sin. I feel I do not hate 
sin, or strive against it as I ought. I am too little affected 
with the love of Christ, without which sin cannot be truly 
atoned for, or the soul humbled. 

"My daily habits are these: — Up about seven; prayer 
with my servant at a quarter to eight; breakfast at eight; 
reading Bible and prayer till ten; parade, ten till eleven; 
read or write till two or three, with prayer for family and 
friends during this time; out of doors till dusk; reading 
and prayer before mess ; mess till half-past eight ; read 
till eleven; prayer and to bed about half-past eleven. 
With regard to society, I know only a few. I have de- 
termined not to mix with worldly people more than I am 
obliged. 

" On Saturday we have our little meetings in my room, 
and on Wednesday, also, we have prayer together, more 
especially for the regiment, and the efforts made for the 
spiritual welfare of the soldiers, and also for our ovm 
Christian friends and families. On Wednesday and Sun- 
day evenings, too, we have our meetings in the school- 
room, which, through the goodness of God, have hitherto 
been full to overflowing. Last Sunday tliere were forty- 



INNER LIFE. 177 

four men besides ourselves, and women, and children. 
On Sunday, also, I go to the hospital after church, and 
have the men in for prayer, &c. At present we are read- 
ing the 'Pilgrim's Progress,' with some explanations, and 
plain words, and turning to the Scripture references. We 
have also got some religious books in circulation among 
the men, and the Society distribute tracts in the barrack- 
room every Sunday; so that by these means, humble 
though they be, we trust that, by the blessing of God, 
some precious souls will be won to Christ. If only one 
sinner be turned to God from his evil way, who can esti- 
mate the riches of such a reward ? 

" I tell you all these things, that you may know what 
we are about, and help us with your prayer to God for 
His blessing on this work in this corner of His vineyard. 
I bless the Lord that I am very, very happy, and, through 
His wonderful love, am kept in the enjoyment of a quiet, 
settled peace, which, though at times ruffled and disturbed 
by daily trials and conflicts with sin, is, indeed, unspeak- 
ably precious. My own sinfulness and unfruitfulness is 
the only cause of any depression of spirit; and this I need, 
to keep me humble and self -abased, and to break my 
proud spirit. And surely, of all people, a Christian ought 
to be the most happy, since ' all things are theirs, and they 
are Christ's, and Christ is God's.' Let us give Him our 
whole hearts, bodies, souls, and sj)irits, to be His, and His 
only. Let it be Christ for us to live, and it will be our 
unspeakable gain to die, for we shall depart to be with 
Him. His love to us is an everlasting, unchangeable love, 
and who shall separate us from it ? 

" I cannot agree with you in thinking that the soul 
M 



178 FEKVENT IN SPIRIT. 

sleeps till tlie day of judgment. Scripture speaks most 
fully and clearly to the contrary. I refer yoii to the 
parable of the rich man and Lazarus ; the thief on the 
cross ; Judas Iscariot, Acts i. 25 ; Stephen, Acts vii. 59 — 
'Receive my spirit;' Paul, 2 Cor. v. 6, 8, and Phil, 
i. 23 ; and David, Ps. xlix. 1 5, with many other passages 
that might be quoted. The idea that the soul will not be 
at once admitted into the fulness of glory, when it leaves 
the body of sin and death, might give rise to many fears 
and uncertain doubts on a death-bed; and therefore I 
think it important that we should see daily what Scripture 
unfolds concerning it. I cannot doubt of its immediate 
flight to its own place." 

The next letter is dated November 1848. 

. . . . " F * * * and I are engaged in tract dis- 
tribution ; we have now been nine months at it, going 
round once a-week to the houses of the villages close by. 
On the whole, we meet with much to encourage, and in 
many places the people receive the word gladly. The 
whole of the town of Kingston, and the environs, is sup- 
plied in this manner with tracts through the Society. . . . 

" I am now very much interested in 'Keith's Prophecies.' 
No subject is so calculated to confirm me in the truth of 
God, and also to encourage me to hope in the fulfilment 
of all His promises ; for surely not one word has failed of 
all He has spoken ; not one word will fail with regard to 
the future glory of the Church ; neither will one word fail 
with regard to our own souls, since they were covenant 
promises — all, yea and amen, in Christ Jesus. How com- 
forting is the thought, in the midst of the conflict, to 



CONFORMITY TO THE IMAGE OF JESUS. 179 

know that Jesus is engaged to carry us tlirougli them all, 
and that He will not suffer a hair of our heads to be 
touched, for the saints are ' preserved in Jesus Christ ' — 
their ' life is hid with Christ in God/ There is much in 
keeping ever before the mind the reality of our fellowship 
with Jesus. Losing sight of this, we sink under the cares 
and trials of life, and cease to strive against the sins 
which so easily beset us. Let us, then, press onward, 
laying aside every weight, and resolving, in the strength 
of God, to walk more closely with Him in holiness, zeal, 
humility, and love, making it the great aim and object of 
our lives to live to the glory of our Redeemer, to sanctify 
Him in our hearts, to exemplify Him in our lives, to put 
Him forward in all our actions, and to aim at glorifying 
Him ' in our bodies and in our spirits, which are His.* Did 
we remember the price at which we have been redeemed 
— the sufferings which Jesus underwent to buy his sons 
to glory — we should feel more deeply that we are not our 
own, and act more habitually in the spirit and temper of 

his disciples 

" Tliis is about the anniversary of God's gracious deal- 
ings towards me, in arresting me in my ungodly career 
four years ago. The recurrence of such seasons seem 
especially to call me to the duty of self-examination and 
prayer, as well as for new resolutions fur the time to 
come. Pray for me, that I may be kept faithful unto the 
end; that sin may not have the dominion over me; that 
my own corrupt nature may not draw me back again to 
perdition ; that the world may not occupy God's place in 
my heart ; that I may not dishonour my Lord and Master 
by my evil temper, my pride, and my selfishness. Let us 



J 80 FERVENT IN SPIfJT 

pray for one another. To keep our own souls must be the 
first concern ; and that we may do so effectually, there 
must be much prayer, much feeding on the Word, medita- 
tion cultivated, and seK-examination practised ; watching 
with all perseverance, and ever looking to Jesus as the 
author and finisher of our faith ; putting Him on daily as 
our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. 
And there are the souls of others ; what are w^e to do for 
them — relations, friends, companions, and all over whom 
our influence extends ? In this respect we must seek to have 
fellowship with Christ in His life — setting before us the 
example of His self-denial. His living for others. His 
patience. His endurance of reproval and opposition, His 
spirit of love. His zeal for God, and single eye to His 

glory 

"Let us read and meditate on the Scriptures much 
more than we have hitherto done. Let our attention be 
especially directed to Him who is the sum and substance 
of Law, Prophet, and Gospel, even Jesus Christ, the same 
yesterday, to-day, and for ever. For, in so doing, we shall 
enjoy much of His presence. He will often draw near to 
us, and, by His Spirit, will let light into our souls, and 
will ' open our understandings to understand the Scrip- 
tures.' We shall then be often led to exclaim, * Did not 
our hearts burn within us while Jesus talked to us by the 
way?' The Scriptures are the great antidote to sin. 
' Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might jiot sin 
against thee.' They are the great means of our sancti- 
fication, for they are the glass or mirror in which we 
may behold the glory of the Lord Jesus ; in which we 
may study His character, contemplate His glory, and 



ASKING FOR BLESSINGS. ]8J 

coj^y His examj^le; so that, thus beholding the glory of 
Jesus, we shall be changed insensibly, but really, into 

His image 

" I would seek to encourage you to expect great things 
from God. His glory is concerned, and therefore you 
may be bold in asking largely of Him for spiritual 
blessings on yourself, and others also. His will is our 
sanctification ; therefore should we come empty to Jesus, 
that we may receive out of His fulness abundant supplies 
of grace ; * grace for grace.* He is glorified by our ad- 
vancement in holiness ; for it is not us, but ' Christ in us ' 
— we are but as vessels. Again, as regarding others, may 
we not do much for others? Here, too, God's glory is 
concerned ; for He will have all men to be saved ; and 
when we pray to be made instruments of leading others 
to Him, what is it but that Jesus may * see the travail of 
His own soul, and be satisfied,' that more jewels may be 
added to His glory ? If we have not, it is because we ask 
not; and if we ask and obtain not, it is because we ask 
amiss. The consideration of the shortness of time, the 
value of souls, and the Lord's coming, should be motives 
to stir us up to diligence in the work of Jesus; and the 
high honour of being associated with Jesus in the work of 
the Lord, should make us very earnest in seeking to ad- 
vance His glory. I was much struck on reading a tract 
by Angell James on Self-renunciation, in which he repre- 
sents the Christian as God's i^epresentative in the world; 
so that, when the world sees a Christian, it should be re- 
minded of God; and in this view take knowledge of them 
that they have been with Jesus. And let us remember, 
that as the Father sent Christ into the world to seek and 



1 82 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 

to save the lost, and to glorify Him in the eyes of men, so 
has He sent us into the world for a like purpose, accord- 

inor to our measure — see John xviL 18 — Ever 

yours affectionately, M. M. H." 

In another letter — 

"November 27, 1848. 

..." It would be the height of ingratitude towards my 
heavenly Father, towards Jesus, the purchaser of inestim- 
able gifts to rebellious sinners such as I, and towards the 
Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who especially bestows 2>e(^ce 
on the Church of Jesus, were I not to acknowledge with 
adoring love and gratitude the great goodness of God 
towards me, notwithstanding my numerous shortcomings 
and daily backslidings in heart. Indeed I have expe- 
rienced His faithfulness to a degree that it becomes me to 
praise Him with my whole heart for mercies so unde- 
served. And you will rejoice on my account, as well as 
praise His name, when I tell you my peace in Jesus still 
flows as a river, quietly, gently, but deeply. I trust I am 
not deceiving myself, thinking that it is from the fountain- 
head, even Jesus himself, that my peace is derived. 
Sometimes, indeed, the surface is ruffled through the 
cares of this life. But, then, peace is again restored with 
such promises as these : — ' Him that cometh to me I will 
in no wise cast out' *I will never leave thee nor forsake 
thee.' ' My strength is made perfect in weakness.' . , . 
When I look to Jesus, this is my warrant, and yours too, 
for joy. It must be in the way of believing. ' Joy and 
peace in believing.' Such a joy as does not manifest itself 
in the exuberance of worldly mirth. It is a joy in God 



HIS OWN ESPECIAL TRIALS. 183 

through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is joined with fear. 
'Eejoicewith trembling.' It is entirely unknown to the 
world, and often hid from our fellow-Christians — a joy that 
a stranger intermeddleth not with, a continual feast, 
enough, satisfying, but never cloying. Such is the Chris- 
tian's joy. May you and I, and all whom we love, realise 
its blessedness to a great degree, until at last we enter 
into the joy of our Lord! . . . 

" You speak of the conflict. It is, indeed, a hard fight. 
* We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against prin- 
cipalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in high 
places,' &c. It is indeed good for us that God sometimes 
leaves us to ourselves, that we may know our weakness 
and proneness to evil, that so He may ' humble and prove 
us, and do us good in our latter end.' ... 

" I will tell you of some of my especial trials, that you 
may be enabled to pour out your soul in prayer for me. 
Fear of man, selfishness, pride and slothfulness, and an 
unhumbled heart. Help us also in prayer for our own 
regiment, its officers and soldiers, and pray that we who 
profess to be followers of Christ may be faithful and con- 
sistent in our walk. Engage the sympathies of those you 
know who love the Lord, and ask their prayers for the 
little Church in our regiment. . . . And now once more I 
commend you to God. I give you 1st John iii. 1-3 as a 
Christmas box. — Ever your aff'ectionate, 

"M. M. H." 

To the idea of being associated with Christ, partners with 
Him in His ministerial work, and after His departure His re- 
presentatives on earth, he returns again in his next letter : — 



184 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 

''December 12, 1848. 
" My very dear * « *, — ... I have been thinking 
lately of the honour put upon ns, in believers being repre- 
sented as associated with Christ in the great work of glo- 
rifying God in the salvation of souls; as appears from two 
verses in John xvii., the 18th and the 22d. As the Father 
sent Christ into the world to glorify Him before men, and 
to seek and save the lost, so has Christ sent His disciples 
into the world for a similar purpose ; and now that the 
Lord and Master is no more in the world, they are His 
representatives upon earth : the head represented by His 
members. And in verse 22, the glory mentioned cannot 
be the glory which shall be revealed, as He says, ' I have 
given them.' It must therefore be the glory of gathering 
in lost sinners ; wherein especially Jesus was glorified, and 
the Father in Him, and in which glorious work and gra- 
cious purpose His people may be one, even as they are 
one. If these things be so — if this is indeed the word of 
truth — ^what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy 
conversation and godliness ? How high and holy is onr 
calling in Christ Jesus ! How great and glorious the work 
in which we are called to engage ! . . . And now, good- 
bye. For a New Year's text I send you Hcb. xiii. 20, 2 1 . 
— Your ever affectionate, 

''M. M. H." 

There was evidence enough in Captain Hammond's 
own case of that light which he desired to see burning 
brightly in others. Tliose who knew him were able to 
' take knowledge of liim that he had been with Jesus." It 
was not only from the natural frankness of his character 



RESERVE AMONG CHRISTIANS CONDEMNED. 185 

that one who afterwards wrote of him said, " It was im- 
possible to be more than a few minutes in his company 
before it was manifest that he had chosen the better part, 
and was a devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ : " it 
was also, that he discountenanced that reserve amonor 
Christians which too commonly hinders their growth in 
grace. His heart was full, and he spoke out of its abun- 
dance, ever touching on themes so congenial to his spirit 
as the Saviour's love. Even at the very outset of his 
Christian life he writes with censure of this backwardness. 
He would say, "The righteousness which is of faith 
speaketh in this wise. The word is nigh thee, even in 
thy mouth and in thy heart, that if thou confess with thy 
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thy heart that 
God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.'' 

In this wise he writes. May 17, 1845. He says: — 

"I cannot tell you how rejoiced I was to read your 
delightful and unreserved letter, or what feelings of thank- 
fulness and joy they produced in my mind. We should, 
indeed, throw off some of that restraint and reserve to 
which we all seem so inclined. Are we ashamed of our 
Saviour, w^ho has redeemed us by His blood? Or is it that 
fear of man, that fear of being thought righteous over- 
much, that fear of giving offence and causing disgust to 
others, that makes us so silent? But surely if God had 
not first spoken to us, and drawn us by His love to Jesus, 
we never should have come. For, as He says, " I am sought 
of them that ask not for me, I am found of them that 
sought me not;" and does not God himself expressly tell us 
to speak often one to another? Malachi iii. 16, 17, ' Then 



186 FERVENT IN SPIFJT. 

they that feared the Lord spake often one to another : and 
the Lord hearkened, and heard it ; and a book of remem- 
brance was written before Him for them that feared the 
Lord, and that thought npon His name. And they shall be 
mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up 
my jewels.' And how graciously does He assure us of 
His approbation ! It is unnecessary my referring to many 
texts on the subject, as you are well acquainted with all ; 
but that one in Deuteronomy vi. 7, ' And thou shalt teach 
them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them 
when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest 
by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou 
risest up," seems to me to be a beautiful and comforting 
warrant to the blessed privilege we possess, of speaking to 
each other on the things that are uppermost in our hearts, 
or at least that ought to be. 

" My birthday is just passed, too, and I can join with 
you in thankfulness to the God of mercy that it has been 
one ever to be remembered by me. There is much that 
should sadden us in looking back to years and years 
spent in sin against God, and in my case in open rebel- 
lion against Him. And on the other hand, there is very 
much that should fill us with joy and gratitude when we 
review His wonderful love and mercy, shewn to us in 
Christ Jesus. Every day seems to shew me more and 
more the happiness and peace of mind that must neces- 
sarily result from a sincere religion. I feel too cold and 
indifferent on these momentous subjects. How needful it 
is to be continually watching and praying lest the light 
that is in us be darkness ! " 



PRAYER. 187 



CHAPTER XIIL 

'♦ There is an eye that never sleeps 

Beneath the wing of night — 
There is an ear which never shuts 

When sink the beams of light — 
There is an arm which never tires 

When human strength gives way- 
There is a love which never fails 

When human loves decay. 

That eye is fixed on seraph throngs, 
That ear is filled with angels' songs. 
That arm upholds the world on high. 
That love is throned beyond the sky. 

But there 's a power that man can wield 

When mortal aid is vain. 
That eye, that arm, that power to reach. 

That listening ear to gain. 
That power is Prayo — which soars on high. 
And feeds on bliss beyond the sky." 

It is almost needless to say that Maxy Hammond rested 
on prayer as one of the mainstays of a Christian life — the 
most indispensable weapon in his armoury — the weapon 
with which the Christian's equipment in the sixth 
of Ej)hesians is summed up and rendered complete — the 
last in order, nearly the first in importance. The girding 



188 PRAYER 

of the loins, the sandals for the feet, the shield, the helmet, 
the sword, would all be still incomplete, were not the 
Christian soldier exhorted to be found "praying always 
with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watch- 
ing thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for 
all saints/' It would almost seem that he had special 
regard to the last clause of the verse just cited, when we 
find that he had written in his pocket-book the names of 
his relations and those friends in whom he was parti- 
cularly interested, and that it was his custom to present 
them before the Throne of Grace in regular daily rotation. 
He alludes to this habit in a letter to one of these 
friends : — 

"You propose," he says, "that we should imite in 
prayer for one another on some particular day. I have 
done so every day at noon — endeavouring to bring the 
particular wants and circumstances of each one before our 
common Father; and, I must say, I have often found it a 
dehghtful season, when prayer seemed to bring you all 
into very close communion. How unlimited are the j^ro- 
mises to prayer ! Our unbelief would say, that God cannot 
condescend to hear. But wondrous as is His condescen- 
sion, He does nevertheless hear and answer, and in 
answering, abundantly bless. May we all drink more 
deeply into the spirit of prayer, and thus ' prove God, 
whether He will not open the windows of heaven, and 
pour out a blessing that there shall not be room to receive 
it!' I hope you have some friends and companions with 
whom you can enjoy Christian fellowship. But you have 
always with you the Friend which sticketh closer than a 



chkist's love unchangeable. 189 

brother; and you Lave His comforting assurance that He 
will never leave you nor forsake you. He is the same who 
tabernacled here on earth in human nature 1800 years 
ago. He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever 
— His love is the same — His forbearing mercy the same 
— His sympathy the same— and His grace the same. 
' Lo, I am with you always.' He is ever present to our 
faith — literally present by His Spirit— to keep, sanctify, 
teach, guide, uphold, and comfort His people. Alas ! how 
little do we love Him, else we should live nearer to Him 
in prayer and holy meditation. Well, indeed, may we 
pray, 'Lord, increase our faith.' 'Blessed are they who 
have not seen, and yet have believed.' Soon we shall ' see 
Him as He is/ Now we walk by faith; soon faith will be 
exchanged for sight, and hope swallowed up in fruition. 
May we cherish this hope and these desires more and 
more — walk more humbly and closely with God — ^learn 
daily to sit more loosely to all things earthly, and set our 
affections more on things which are above — Ever your 
affectionate, M. M. H." 

Some time later, in February ] 855, we find him draw- 
ing up the following heads for family worship : — 

" Sunday. 

" The Church of Christ. — Increase of grace upon all; 
that believers may adorn His doctrine, and glorify His 
name ; that they may be waiting for His return ; for a spirit 
of love and unity, healing divisions ; that they may be of 
one heart in setting forward the cause of Christ; that they 
may be witnesses in an evil world. 



190 PRAYER. 

" Jews. — Their conversion and restoratioru 

''Heathen. — Progress of the gospel; more labourers 
fitted for the work. For missionaries — their difficulties, 
trials, and snares; increase of fruit; love and strength for 
them. Missionary societies — guidance for those who 
manage them. Converts — that they may glorify God by 
tlieir consistent walk. 

" Sunday Schools. — Teachers and scholars — outpouring 
of Spirit. 

Ministers. — That they may preach Christ fully, and, 
lifting Him up, may draw all men unto Him. 

" Monday. 
" Country. — Thanksgiving for the gospel — prayer that 
the light of truth may be continued to us. For a blessing 
on home ministry — for the rising generation — the preser- 
vation and better observance of the Sabbath — for a spirit 
of contentedness among the poor, and consideration 
amongst the rich. For Ireland — reformation there. 

" Tuesday. 
" Bible Society, Schools, and Colleges. — That the Word 
may have free course, and be glorified ; that the young 
may be instructed in truth, and educated in sound and 
Christian learning. 

" Wednesday. 

" Ministry. — That ministers may be qualified for their 

work, and endowed with faith, patience, meekness, and 

steadfastness ; that they may commend the gospel by their 

lives, may be preserved from danger of climate, and from 



HEADS OF PRAYER. 191 

wicked men; praise for what God has already wrought 
among the heathen ; prayer that He would send forth 
more labourers. 

" Thursday. 

"Army. — Officers, soldiers; women, children; Christian 
soldiers, their trials and temptations — that they may glo- 
rify God by their example; chaplains. 

" Religious Societies. — That God may be glorified, the 
gospel diffused, and sinners converted; for wisdom and 
grace for those who have the management of them. 

" Friday. 

" The War. — That it may be prosecuted on principles 
of justice, humanity, and the fear of God ; for the protec- 
tion, deliverance, and success of our forces by sea and 
land ; for temperance in victory, perseverance in difficulty, 
and patience in adversity ; for kindness and generosity to- 
wards the enemy, returning good for evil ; for the sick, 
wounded, and prisoners, and those appointed to die, also 
the bereaved; for the Czar, that his way be turned, and 
inclined to peace ; for peace and unity among nations. 

" Saturday. 
" Ministers. — That they may be taught of God, endued 
with the Spirit, love to Christ, zeal for the salvation of 
souls; that their labours may be blessed in public teach- 
ing, and in all their pastoral duties ; that they may adorn 
the gospel by holy and consistent lives/' 

His own fixed times for private prayer were in the 
morning, at mid-day, and at night. He believed that he 



J 92 PEAYEK. 

owed more, in his spiritual life and growth, to this season 
of mid-day prayer than to any other means of grace. He 
said that he more often enjoyed communion then than at 
any other time. He felt the full value of a prayerful 
spirit — of " continuing instant in prayer " — and many a 
lonely hour on guard, which to others seemed wearisome 
in the extreme, was to him a golden season of happy and 
blessed communion with God. He nsed, he has said, to 
walk up and down, the guardroom praying fo7- all his 
friends; and who can say how many hearts may not have 
been turned, how many blessings may not have been 
poured forth, in answer to those prayers ! 

In his study of Scripture he established a habit of writ- 
ing a short daily comment upon what he had read ; medi- 
tating on it, and eliciting some reflections, and gathering up 
some fruit from each separate verse. In this way he went 
through St Paul's Epistles, from the Ephesians to Phile- 
mon inclusive ; taking them verse by verse, and writing 
down some short comments on each verse, or on each para- 
graph. This habit was continued from June 1851 to 
February 1853. The Epistle to the Romans was com- 
menced later ; and was resumed and nearly completed 
during the campaign of 1854* in Bulgaria. These mate- 
rials form a volume of considerable size, in very closely- 
vn-itten MS. —a volume containing much variety of 
thought, evincing very strongly the teaching of the Holy 
Spirit, and, above all, remarkable for its closely practical 
character. It has seemed advisable, in a publication of 
this nature, to introduce a selection from the Commentary 
— not less as a specimen of the scriptural exercise which 
it was Maxy Hammond's habit to engage in, than for its 



COMMENTARY— INTERCESSORY PRAYER. 193 

value as a pattern, or example, to those who may wish to 
adopt a similar course. 

''November 13. 
" Col. i. 9. — The duty of intercessory prayer is enforced 
or implied in many j^laces throughout the Scriptures. 
And here is an example of it in Paul and Timotheus— 
* We do not cease to pray for you: Elias is mentioned 
elsewhere (James v. 17, 18) as an instance of the power 
of fervent, effectual, intercessory prayer; and Jesus him- 
self, when upon earth, left us that sublime and beautiful 
example of His intercession for His people, recorded in 
the 17th of St John. Intercession for others ought to be 
regarded by Christians as a duty and a privilege ; and it 
will be found that the practice brings down a double 
blessing— a blessing upon him who offers up the prayer, 
and a blessing upon him, also, for whom the prayer is 
offered up. I feel, alas ! how often I engage in this duty 
with a cold and careless heart; how often I am tempted 
to give up praying, because the answer is delayed; how 
much my prayers are shut in to the narrow limit of those 
persons and things in which I am immediately interested, 
instead of reaching out to God's cause and people in 
every place ! Oh, for an increase of faith, for greater 
fervency, for more constant perseverance in this holy 
duty, and greater delight and enjoyment in the blessed 
privilege of prayer for others ! " 

"November 14. 
"Col. i. 9. — Paul prayed for particular blessings for 
tliese Christians. Prayer oiiglit to be specific, and not 

N 



194 PRAYER, 

merely general. To ask for tilings in tlie general, is a 
lazy mode of prayer; and perhaps this is one reason why 
our prayers seem often to be unheard and unheeded, and 
why our own hearts are so cold and formal whilst en- 
gaged in prayer. Special prayer requires some fore- 
thought and preparation of heart; and it is on this ac- 
count that Christians fail in this duty, because it calls 
for self-denial. I feel that this has been a fault and an 
easily besetting sin with me, against which I ought to 
watch, pray, and seek grace to deny myself. 

"Paul prayed for them as follows: 1st (ver. 9), That 
they might have a scriptural and enlightened understand- 
ing of His work and will. 2dly (ver. 10), That their 
spiritual life might be holy, fruitful, and growing, ^dly 
(ver. 11), That they might be endued with strength and 
patience to endure temptation or sufferings. 4tthly (ver. 
12, 13), That their hearts might abound with thanksgiv- 
ings for redeeming love and mercy. 

" \st, That they might have a scriptural and enlightened 
understanding of His word and will. This is to be 
obtained by a diligent and prayerful study of the Scrip- 
tures. Those who drink deepest at the fountain will grow 
most rapidly, and enjoy most peace. 

" It should be our desire, as Christians, not only to know 
His will, but to ' be jilled ' with His heavenly knowledge. 
To think that we know all that we need to know, is the 
height of folly and presumption; and the greater ad- 
vances we make in grace, the more constantly shall we be 
found sitting (like Mary) at the feet of Jesus, and listen- 
ing to His word. Two things are essential to our com- 
fort, growth, and usefulness; that we should possess an 



COMMENTARY — CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 195 

enligliteiicd and fsj^iritual understanding, and a matured 
and sound judgment, even that ' wisdom which is from 
above,' " 

" November 17. 

"Col. i. 10. — Here is the second subject of Paul's 
prayer to the Colossians — ' That their spiritual life might 
be Jioly, fruitful^ and growing.' ' That they might walk 
luorthij of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fi^uitful in 
every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of 
God.' There may be — and there often is, alas ! — an un- 
derstanding of the truth of God, which produces no prac- 
tical result in the life and conversation. The Bible may 
be studied as any other science, and the head may be 
filled whilst the heart remains unhumbled, unenlightened, 
unsanctified; but a spiritual understanding of the word 
and Y/ill of God, through the influence of the Spirit of 
truth upon the heart, is always accompanied by holiness 
and consistency of life. The real Christian feels (so to 
speak) that his honour is at stake, and bound up in his 
duty towards his Lord and Master; he serves a great, a 
glorious, and a holy Being ; and, professing himself to be 
His disciple, it is his sincere desire and constant aim to 
'walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing.' He re- 
members the example left him by his heavenly Master, 
and the testimony which He gave for the imitation of His 
disciples — ' I do always those things which please Him.' 
Is this my aim — to please my God and Saviour in all 
things? Is my walk ivorthy of Him whose name I 
bear, and whose disciple I profess to be ? Does my Hght 
shine before men, or is it dim and imperceptible, so that 
the image of Christ cannot be discerned in me ? Which 



196 PRAYER. 

am I seeking most — my own ease, comfort, and jDrofit, or 
the glory of Jesus, and the honour of His name ? Alas ! 
I feel that I am but an uni^rofitable servant — that my 
walk is very it?iworthy of my Lord. Help me, then, 
Jesus ! * to strengthen the things that remain, and are 
ready to die/ Help me to follow thee implicitly, fully, 
faithfully. 

"November 19. 

" Col. i. 10. — The second subject of prayer continued — 
'That they might be fruitful in every good work/ 'By 
their fruits ye shall know them.' This was said with 
reference to the false teachers, but it is equally applicable 
to all men. A barren Christian is a contradiction in 
terms. Such an one is fit only to be cut down as a cum- 
berer of the ground. The disciple of Him ' who went 
about doing good' (Acts x. 3"8), and whose ' meat it was to 
do His Father's will' (John iv. 84), must, in like manner, 
be fruitful according to their measure and capacity, in 
every good work. ' Herein,' said Jesus (John xv. 8), 'is 
my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit. So shall 
ye be my disciples.' None can be said to ' live in the 
Spirit,' but those who ' walk in the Spirit ' (Gal. v. 25), and 
who are bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit. Now, 
* the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, 
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.' Are 
these fruits apparent in me ? or am I only a dry and 
barren branch ? Let me remember those solemn words 
of Jesus (John xv. 2), ' Every branch in me that beareth 
fruit, he purgeth (pruneth) it, that it may bring forth 
more fruit; and every branch that beareth not fruit, he 
taketh away.' 



COMMENTARY — RIGHT KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 197 
" NOVEMBEK 20. 

" Col. i. 10. — Joined to holiness and fruitfulness, is growth 
in grace, and in the knowledge of God — ' Inceeasing in 
the knowledge of God.' The knowledge of God is life 
eternal (John xvii. 3)—' This is life eternal, that they 
might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ 
whom thou hast sent/ It is of the utmost importance, 

then, to have a right and scriptural knowledge of God 

to know Him savingly, spiritually, influentially. This 
knowledge is to be attained and increased through His 
Holy Scriptures, for 'they are they which testify of 
Christ,' and Christ is 'the brightness of His Father's 
glory, and the express image of His person/ To know 
Jesus, therefore, is to know God ; for ' He that hath seen 
me,' said Christ, 'hath seen the Father' (John xiv. ^). 
This knowledge of God, then, must be increased by study- 
ing the character of Jesus, as revealed in the gospel. In 
so doing, new discoveries will be made of the glory, grace, 
and power of God — His willingness to save, His readi- 
ness to give. His power to help, His condescending grace 
to sympathise in affliction. There will also be new dis- 
coveries of the holiness of God, as seen in the life and 
sufferings of Jesus ; especially in viewing Him nailed to 
the cross, as the great atoning sacrifice for sin. For how 
must God hate sin, to require such a ransom as the blood 
of His dear Son ! Oh, blessed Spirit ! teach me more of 
God, as He is revealed and manifested in Jesus; and 
grant that I may not only increase in the knowledge of 
Him, but that I may increase also in all holiness of heart 
and life, and in conformity to His image, through Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 



1 98 PRAYER. 

" November 24 

"Col. i. 11. — Paul prays further for these Colossians, 
that they might be endued with strength under trial, and 
with imtience under suffering. * Strengthened with all 
might, according to his glorious power.' This agrees with 
Eph. vi. 10 — ' Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of 
His might' The believer must be endued with strength 
from above, to enable him to withstand the many tempta- 
tions and trials he will surely meet with, living in a world 
that * lieth in the wicked one,' and carrying about with 
him a body of sin, an evil heart of unbelief, prone to de- 
part from the living God. But, blessed be God, we are 
not called to engage in this warfare at our own charge, to 
fight in our own strength. We have One mighty to save ; 
One who has already triumphed over all the powers of 
darkness ; One who is ' Al-Shaddai,' God Almighty, who 
will be with His people in every strait or difficulty; and 
who will abundantly deliver us, and give us power over 
every spiritual Goliath which would seek to take away 
our life. ' His glorious power ' is engaged in our behalf, 
and by it His people shall be ' kept through faith unto 
salvation ' (1 Peter i. 5). 

"CoL i. 11. — 'Unto all patience and long-suffering, 
with joyfulness.' This has respect to the Christian's 
bearing under suffering and affliction. If the hand of 
the Lord be upon our persons, our families, our pro- 
perty, there is a call for patient submission and resigna- 
tion to His holy will. All murmuring must be instantly 
silenced, for He who smites is holy, just, and good. ' Why, 
then, should a living man complain, a man for the punish- 
ment of his sins ?' ' Shall we receive orood at the hands of 



COMMENTARY — CHRISTIAN PATIENCE. 199 

the Lord, and shall we not also receive evil V (Lam. iii. 89 ; 
Job ii. 10). Let our afflictions be compared with our 
deservings, and then how shall we complain ? The true 
source of support and comfort, under trial, will be found 
in 'considering Him who endured' for us (Heb. xii. 3). 
If our trial be from man — from the opposition, scorn, or 
contempt of the world, or from the unkindness and in- 
gratitude of others — this, too, must be borne with long- 
suffering, remembering ' Hhn who endured such contra- 
diction of sinners against Himself.' If our conscience is 
void of offence towards God and man; if we are walking 
by faith in Jesus, abiding in Him, and ' looking at the 
things that are unseen' — then may we know that there is 
such a thing as joyfulness in the midst of temptation and 
suffering. The Christian is described as one who can 
* rejoice in tribulation' — who, though sometimes sorro\j- 
fu], yet is ' always rejoicing.' Oh ! let me seek earnestly 
strength for the time of temptation, and patience and 
long-suffering in the day of adversity and affliction; and, 
in every such season, may I be found 'looking unto 

Jesus.' 

" November 25. 

"Col. i. 12. — Paul further prays for these Christians, 
that their hearts and their lips might abound with thanks- 
giving for redeeming love and mercy. Giving thanks 
unto the Father for all the blessings which he liath freely 
given to us in His Sou Jesus Christ. How beautiful is 
the thanksgiving prayer in our Liturgy, when Are use 
these words, ' AVe bless thee for our creation, preserva- 
tion, and all the blessings of this life; but, above all, for 
thine inestimable love, in the redemption of the world by 



200 PRAYER. 

our Lord Jesus Christ/ In like manner, Paul breaks 
forth into praise in the commencement of his Epistle to 
the Ephesians (i. 3), ' Blessed be the God and Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiri- 
tual blessings in heavenly places in Christ/ We are to 
trace back the source and fountain of our mercies and 
blessings to the electing love of the Father, ' according as 
He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the 
world/ 'Giving thanks imto the Father, which hath 
made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the 
saints in light/ This is indeed a sufficient cause for 
thankfuhiess, which may call forth our admiration and 
our praise. St John seemed to have been deeply im- 
pressed with this feeling in contemplating the love of 
the Father, in those beautiful and wondrous words which 
h^ wrote (1 John iii. 1), 'Behold what manner of love 
the Father hath bestowed upon ns, that we should be 
called the sons of God!' In what does the 'meetness' 
here spoken of consist ? What do I need in order that 
I may be made a fit partaker of the inheritance of the 
Lamb? (].) The justification and acceptance of my 
person through the blood and righteousness of Jesus ; 
union in Christ, being engrafted into Him by the new 
birth ; faith in Him, and participation by faith, in all 
the benefits which He hath purchased for us. (2.) 
Sanctification by the word and spirit of Christ. Heart- 
holiness, heavenly-mindedness, conformity to Jesus, through 
the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. ' The inheritance of 
the saints in light.' This is that ' inlieritance which is 
incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away' (1 
Pet. i.) He who is ' heir of all things is Himself ' the in- 



COMMENTARY — THE DELIVERANCE — THE DELIVERER. 201 

heritance and portion of His people throughout eternity. 
The saints lon^ to be with Him ; for when with Him they 
shall be made like Him. Oh! to live more in the light of 
that day, when He shall be revealed to give to every one 
of His people their everlasting inheritance. 

" November 26. 

"Col. i 13. — 'Who hath delivered us from the power 
of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of 
His dear Son.' The deliverance and translation here 
spoken of are ascribed to the Father. Let us notice 
more particularly what is comprehended under these two 
terms, ' delivered ' and ' translated.' 

" 1st, The Deliverance. — The Deliverer is none other 
than God himself, ' the Father of mercies,' whose com- 
passions are moved for the weak and helpless sons of men 
whom Satan keeps fast bound and tied by the chain of 
their sins. Out of His rich and free mercy, He is pleased 
to deliver such by His own Divine power and energy. 
The power which He exerts in the spiritual deliverance of 
His peo23le is called by Paul, in his Epistle to the Ephe- 
sians (i. 19, 20), 'The exceeding greatness of His power 
to US-ward who believe, according to the working of His 
mighty pov>^er, which He lorought in Christ, when He 
raised Him from the dead.' 

" The delivered are sinners of mankind. The slaves of 
sin and Satan, led captive by him at his will. They are 
the true subjects of ' the god of this world,' and rebels 
against ' the Prince of Life.' They are delivered from 
* the power of darkness,' i.e. Satan himself, ' the prince 
of darkness,' and the fallen and corrupt nature by which 



202 PEAYER. 

the mind is darkened, the affections alienated, and the 
will perverted. 

" Surely there is here deep cause for gratitude ; much 
that should lead me to ' give thanks unto the Father/ when 
I consider the 'De\iYerer,the Delivered, and the DeliveTttnce. 
* What can I render unto the Lord for all His mercies 
and for all His benefits towards me?' Oh, may I 'take 
the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord/ 
rejoicing in my deliverance from the power of darkness, 
with a thankful heart, and continually watching over my 
heart, lest I should have any ' fellowship with the unfruit- 
ful works of darkness' (Eph. v. 11) in thought, word, or 

deed. 

" November 27. 

"Col. i. 13. — 'And hath translated us into the kingdom 
of His dear Son.' Or, according to the marginal reading, 
'into the kingdom of the Son of His love.' Having con- 
sidered the * deliverance ' spoken of in the first part of the 
verse, we are here called to contemplate the ' translation.' 
The state of honour and privilege, with the innumerable 
blessings connected with it, into which the new-born child 
of God is adopted. And in this respect the translation 
of Enoch may be regarded as a type in figure of the spi- 
ritual translation of all the children of God. It is said of 
Enoch (Heb. xi. 5), that ' by faith he was translated that 
lie should not see death ; and he was not, because God 
had translated him.' He was suddenly caught up by the 
power of God, removed for ever from this lower world of 
sin, sorrow, and death ; delivered from the burden of sin, 
and from the body of sin with which he was encompassed ; 
and was translated by the angels into heaven, into the very 



COMMENTARY — THE INHERITANCE. 203 

presence of God himself, and of that Saviour whom he had 
so faithfully served, and so manfully confessed on earth. 
And thus it is with the behever. Born again of the Holy 
Ghost, engrafted by faith into Jesus, made a new creature 
in Him, he is at once translated into His kingdom of 
grace on earth, and he will at length, like Enoch, be lite- 
rally translated to His kingdom of glory above. 

*' ' The kingdom of the Son of His love.' 

" This reminds us of the amazing love of the Father, in 
giving " His dear Son " as the ransom for us poor perishing 
sinners. Blessed, indeed, are they who have a place in 
that kingdom on earth, but how far more blessed will be 
the translation to that kingdom of glory and everlasting 
felicity which He shall set up in the day of His glorious 
appearing. Oh, to be enabled from the heart to use the 
prayer of the hymn, 

" ' Come, Lord, when grace hath made me meet 
Thy blessed face to see ; 
For if thy work on earth is sweet, 
What must thy glory be ! ' " 

The selection of this passage, though perhaps less strik- 
ing than others which might have been found, seems par- 
ticularly to recommend itself, not only because its sub- 
ject, " Prayer," is immediately connected with the com- 
mencement of this chapter, but because its conclusion 
seems to bear a peculiar significance as regards its author. 
Might vre not ourselves, anticipating a little the sequel of 
this narrative, while we dwell with chastened sorrow on 
his sudden translation, take up his own words ; and using 
them in their full force as coming FROM him, apply them 



204! PEAYEE. 

for our own especial comfort to him — to him, as 'a 
believer, by faith translated, that he should not see death' 
— ' suddenly caught up by the power of God, removed from 
this lower world of sin, and sorrow, and death, delivered 
from the burden of sin, and translated by the angels into 
heaven, into the very presence of God himself, and of that 
Saviour whom he had so faithfully served and so manfully 
confessed when on earth.* 



EETURN TO ENGLAND. 205 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Iletiirtt k €\^k\\k 

*' Here on our native soil we breathe once more — 
The cock that crows, the smoke that curls, the sound 
Of bells; those boys who in yon meadow ground 
In white-sleeved shirts are playing ; and the roar 
Of the waves breaking on the chalky shore — 
All, all are English ! oft have I looked around 
With joy on Kent's green vales; but never found 
Myself so satisfied with life before." 

Wordsworth. 

A CHANGE having occurred in the battalion arrangements, 
Captain Hammond was imexpectedly posted to the com- 
mand of the depot, then at the Isle of Wight ; and he very 
soon after quitted America for the last time. To this 
alteration in his position, he briefly refers in a letter to 
one of his friends : — 

"Kingston, April 2, 1849. 
" You will perhaps be much surprised to hear me 
speak of returning to England. Such, however, is my 
expectation. I am recommended by the colonel for the 
command of the depot; W * * « having declined the 
offer, which was first made to liim. I suppose I shall go 
as soon as the sanction of the Horse Guards is obtained. 
I shall probably bid a final farewell to Canada, as it is not 



206 RETUEN TO ENGLAND. 

likely I shall be moved before the regiment returns to 
England/' 

The appo ntment was soon confirmea, and in June 
1849, we find him stationed at Parkhurst, in the Isle of 
Wight, in charge of the depot. 

Soon after his arrival, his youngest brother, in whom he 
had taken so lively an interest, as we have already gathered 
from his letters, and who first received him when he 
returned home in 1847, went down to see him on his 
arrival, and thus describes his first interview: — 

" The heavenliness of his whole deportment struck me 
much ; we read and prayed together, and all our conversa- 
tion was about the inheritance, and the service, I was just 
then beginning to feel after, and which he had found for 
four or five years. Mrs H * * * gave me the ' Sinners' 
Friend/ and N. H * * *, ' Come to Jesus,' and we used 
to read the latter together on the grass banks of Caris- 
brooke Castle, and in our expeditions to the Needles, and 
in his room in barracks. Coming up from the H * * *'s 
one day, I remember his alluding to his boyish days, and 
saying, ' he thought there were no sinners so great as boys.'" 

To this brother, Captain Hammond writes : — 

"Paekhurst, June 8, 1849. 

" I enjoyed your short visit What reason have 

you and I to be filled with gratitude and adoring wonder 
at the grace which has enabled us, in some degree, to taste 
that the Lord is gracious, and to feel, however slightly, 
that Jesus is precious. He is the ' chief among ten thou- 
sand, and altogether lovely.' Such is He in the eyes of 



TEIALS IN THE WORLD. 207 

His redeemed Church, and such should He be in ours. 
Yet, alas! I feel at times as if I had no love — as if my 
religion were mere hypocrisy, the form of godliness, but 
destitute of its vital power. Indeed, we ought to be 
ashamed that we love Him so little ; that we are doing so 
little for Him. I find this especially the case when thrown 
amongst worldly men. Then it is not an easy thing to 
walk as a Christian, desiring to be known in no other 
character than as a disciple of Jesus; content to wear the 
reproach of the cross; to be thought a weak-spirited 
fellow for His sake; confessing Him before men, and 
setting up our banner in His name; studying to adorn 
His gospel in all things with 'meekness of wisdom.' I 
don't know when I have felt my own weakness and utter 
helplessness more than since I have been here. How 
blessed a thing it is for us that we are not kept by our- 
selves, but by the Keeper of Israel — by Him who prayed, 
* Holy Father, keep, through thine own name, those whom 
thou hast given me,' and again, 'I pray not that thou 
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou 
shouldest keep them from the evil.' Here, then, is our 
security — the intercession of Jesus, as engaged in our 
behalf. Covenant love is pledged for our encouragement 
— all the promises are for us weak sinners, all secured to 
us in Jesus, for ' all the promises of God ' are * yea and 
amen ' in Christ Jesus. . . . Grace be with you. Let our 
prayer for each other be 2 Thess. i. 11, 12. — Ever your 
affectionate, M. M. Hammond." 

Probably one especial cause of the serenity and inward 
peace, as well as the consistent holiness of outward Ufe 



208 EETUEN TO ENGLAND. 

that marked Captain Hammond's character, was his 
entire dependence on the all-sufficiency of Christ, the 
habit of looking out 0/ himself unto Christ for everything; 
conscious of the weakness of the natural man, yet 
rejoicing in the knowledge that the Lord's "strength is 
made perfect in weakness." This view of the Christian's 
relation to the Saviour is thus most happily expressed in 
a short fragment written by him in a friend's common- 
place book : — 

"There are two things which the Christian ought ever 
to keep in view; his own nothingness, and the all-suffi- 
ciency of Jesus ; the one to keep him humble, the other to 
inspire him with confidence and hope. Having nothing 
in himself (Rev. iii. 17), yet possessing all things in 
Jesus (2 Cor. vi. 10); without any righteousness of his 
own (Isa. Ixiv. 6), yet complete in the righteousness of 
Immanuel (Col. ii. 10; Jer. xxiii. 6); without strength 
(Rom. V. 6), yet strong in the Lord and in the power of 
His might (Eph. vi. 10); without holiness (Rom. iii. 12), 
yet having the promise of sanctification through Jesus 
(1 Cor. i. 30); without power to keep himself (2 Cor. iii. 
5), yet kept by the power of God through faith unto 
salvation (I Pet. i. 5; John xvii. 11-15); preserved in 
Jesus Christ (Jude i.). It hath pleased the Father that 
in Christ should all fulness dwell (Col. i. 19), that out of 
that fulness empty sinners may receive all that their souls 
may require for time and eternity (John i. 16). Thanks 
be unto God for His unspeakable gift (2 Cor. ix. 15). 

" M. M. Hammond.'' 

"Newport, Isle of Wight, July \Mh, \^\^" 



LETTEPw OX WORLDLY AMUSEMENTS. 209 

Among the letters which we have brought together in 
this vohime, perhaps we shall find none which more 
forciby illustrates the completeness of the change which 
the writer had undergone, none certainly which has a 
better claim to the consideration of the reader, than that 
which follows. It was written in the course of some 
correspondence which had taken place on the lawfulness 
of many worldly amusements. Let us compare it with 
those letters introduced in our earlier pages; those, for 
example, written from Newport and from Dover, in 1842. 
Do we not perceive in that comparison something more 
tlian a natural change from the tone of boyish levity to 
the grave thoughtfulness of manhood ! Can we fail to 
see in the deep conviction which calmly, but decidedly, 
condemns all that " is not of the Father but of the world ; " 
in the wisdom, which, utterimr her warninsj voice, wouhl 
cry imploringly, "How long, ye simple ones;" in the 
earnest concern of one, who, experiencing in the better 
part which he had cliosen, that "godliness is profitable" 
in "the life which now is," would desire that others mioh"; 
share it ; can we fail to perceive in all this, the efl'ect of 
the Holy Spirit's work? In those first letters we have 
the natural man speaking. In this, the renewed spirit. 

" October 18, 1849. 
" My dear * * #, — Very many thanks for your letter, 
and for the book which accompanied it. A more perni- 
cious production I never met with, but which, happily, can 
be so easily refuted in all its pretended arguments, that 
it is likely to do less harm to the earnest Christian than 
it might otherwise do. So far from convincing the Bible- 

o 



210 RETURN TO ENGLAND. 

taught Cliristian that it is wrong to ' come out and be 
separate' from the world, it would more than ever con- 
firm him in the fundamental principle ; and it is only a 
further proof that *the natural man receiveth not the 
things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, 
because they are spiritually discerned/ Bishop Hackett's 
disciple, whoever he may be, is plainly devoid of the 
Spirit of Christ, destitute of the mark of the true be- 
liever, love to the brethren, and victory over the world; 
and, therefore, it is vain to argue with such a person, 
since he sets aside the truth of God, and vainly endea- 
vours to invent a system of religion diametrically opposite 
to the eternal truth. How shall one speak of spiritual 
things to one who denies the depravity of our nature 
(notwithstanding the words of the Holy Ghost — Rom. viii. 
7), who tells of the merit of faith and good works, rejects 
the doctrine of the new birth, and, finally, scoffs at and 
holds up to ridicule all that is really vital, spiritual, and 
experimental in the religion of Jesus ^ 

" What a mistaken notion of what is termed cheerful- 
ness, to suppose that it is to be found in those broken 
cisterns which the men of this world would in vain apply 
to, in order to drown the voice of conscience, ' kill time,' 
and shut out the thoughts of God and eternity from the 
mind 1 The soul that has been plucked as a brand from 
tlie burning, dreads the taint of those pleasures from 
which it has been snatched by sovereign grace. Having 
travelled with the multitude along the broad road to de- 
struction, now that his eyes have been opened to see his 
own imminent danger, and the danger of his fellow-tra- 
vellers, and having been warned by the Angel of the Cove- 



LETTER ON WOIILDLY AMUSEMENTS. 211 

nant not to look behind, the awakened and sin-convinced 
penitent trembles with fear of returning to the devoted 
city, and flies for his life, believing the word of the Most 
High, that he cannot serve God and Mammon. ' No man 
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is 
fit for the kingdom of heaven.' Vvliat was it that ren- 
dered the good seed unfruitful, and even choked it in one 
class of hearers ?— the pleasures of this life (Luke viii. 14<). 
Truly, indeed, may these be called thorns. The child of 
God will find them sharp and piercing, wounding the 
conscience, dimming the hope, and dragging down the 
soul to earth, deadening the spiritual affections, and 
estranging him from his God. Is not Christ enough? 
Is He not infinitely precious and all-sufficient? and ought 
we not to be cheerful in Him? He is our all in all;, 'as 
He is, so are we in this world/ What can give such solid 
peace, such permanent happiness, as communion with 
Him, our unseenFriend ? And shall we yet hanker after 
communion with those who know and love Him not, and 
have their portion in this life? If we seek happiness out 
of Him, surely we shall have our reward. 

"I was much struck with a remark of a dear Christian 
brother, in a letter from Canada received not long ago, 
that is so much to the point, that I shall quote it here: 
'\yhy,' he writes, 'are we not contented with Christ? 
Why have we a hankering after something, a little worldly 
communion out of Christ, to fill up, as it were, our daily 
measure of happiness ? This little empty corner ought to 
be filled up also out of Christ, and our joy would be com- 
plete. How often do we meet with the injunction, Ee- 
joice evermore ! My prayer each day is, that God would 



21 2 RETURN TO ENGLAND. 

hedge me about with thorns, and drive me closer to Him.* 
Such is the language of one who has been taught by the 
Spirit, and who has drunk deeply of the Spirit of Christ, 
on the other side of the Atlantic ; and may we not learn 
a lesson of this babe in Christ, who has had little more 
than twelve months' experience of the things of God ? 

" Referring again to the book, how weak and j)uerile 
are the arguments brought forward — Dancing sanctioned, 
because David danced and sung j^raises before the Lord ! 
Is such the practice of our Christian ball-rooms? And 
again — The Almighty Father meeting his repentant son 
with music and dancing. Are balls, then, ordained of 
God as the expression of our joy over repenting sinners ? 
And because the father of the prodigal is represented as 
meeting his son in the way described, is this to teach us 
that God approves of dancing all night, as in our day ? or 
does it simply mean that, as the earthly father rejoiced over 
his lost, erring child, so our heavenly Father rejoices over 
the poor repentant sinner, and freely forgives him ? Doubt- 
less there is joy in such a case — ^joy in heaven, rejoicing, 
and hymns of praise, among the angels there ; but what 
has this to do with the unholy mirth of a London ball- 
room, where ' the lust of the eye, and the lust of the flesh, 
and the j^ride of life' there exhibited, do but remind us 
that such assemblies are ' not of the Father, but of the 
world?' I cannot dwell further on the profane and un- 
hallowed subject brought forward by Bishop Hackett's 
disciple. What would the same author say with rea'ard 
to theatres, and places of that description (the nurseries 
of vice, as admitted by all) ? 

"And where are we to stop? The further we keep 



LETTER ON WOELDLY AMUSEMENTS. 213 

from the edge of the precipice, the safer we must be, and 
not incur the risk of seeing how far we can go without 
falling over. But, on all these points, argument is power- 
less, unless the judgment is convinced; and, therefore, 
* let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.' For 
my own part, I have tried both; and now every day's ex- 
perience tells me, that both for our own peace and happi- 
ness, and for the real good of others, the Christian's duty 
is clear, ' to come out and be separate' from the vain pur- 
suits, unsanctified pleasures, and sinful practices of the 
world. There are now, as there ever were, two classes, 
and two only — the children of the world, and the children 
of God ; the converted, and the unconverted ; those tread- 
ing the broad way, and those walking along the narrow. 
These opposite principles cannot amalgamate. The child 
of God must not mingle with the children of the wicked 
one, just as the Jews were forbidden to form alliances 
with the heathen, lest they should learn their 'practices. 
See how they fell through these very things ; and * these 
things were written for our admonition, upon whom the 
ends of the world have come.' Thus we gather from 
types what is more fully explained in the New Testament. 
" Once more, how awful is the woe denounced against 
those who offend {i.e., cause to stumble) one of Christ's 
' little ones.' May we not fear that, in conforming to the 
usages and practices of the world, we shall be giving coun- 
tenance to many, who are lovers of pleasure more than 
lovers of God, and thus cast a stumbling-block before 
their feet, over which they might fall eternally. On the 
other hand, if we shew plainly that we are ' strangers and 
pilgrims here;' that we are ' crucified to the world, and the 



21 4i EETUEN TO ENGLAND. 

world crucified to us ' (that is, held uj^ to our view as an 
object loathsome and disgusting, from which we would 
turn away) ; ' that this is not our rest ; ' that we are * seeking 
a better country, that is, a heavenly,' and higher hopes and 
purer pleasures than this world can boast of; that w^e 
derive our joys and our peace from a totally different 
source; then, I think, we should be doing more towards 
awakening a spirit of inquiry, and deeper concern, for 
the welfare of the soul in those around us, than in quietly 
going down the stream with them, with little observable 
difference between our principles, pleasures, and pursuits, 
and theirs. Let us remember our high and holy calling • 
called out from the world, witnesses for Christ and against 
sin and ungodliness, in whatever form it may present 
itself. Citizens of the new Jerusalem, having our con- 
versation in heaven, jDartakers of the Divine nature, 
temples of the Holy Ghost, may our constant and fer- 
vent prayer be that of Paul for the Philippians, that 
(i. 9-11) we may ' try' things ' that difier.' Lord increase 
our faith. — Your affectionate, M. M. H." 

'' P.S. — 'Is any afflicted? let him pray; is any meny 
among you ? let him sing psalms ; let your moderation be 
known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.' See also 
Jer. XV. 19, * Let them return unto thee ; but return not 
thou unto them.' " 

In reply to his younger brother, who had asked his 
opinion as to the lawfulness of shooting, he thus expresses 
himself : — 

*' I hardly know how to answer your question about 



LAWFULNESS OF AMUSEMENTS. 21 5 

shooting. With regard to those things that are not 
imrticidarly mentioned in the Bible, we must be guided 
by the general rules and commands laid down in Scrip- 
ture ; and in determining what is, and what is not lawful, 
each one must be guided by the measure of light which 
God has given him. The general rule is plain. 'Love 
not the world, neither the things that are in the world ;' 
' be not conformed to this world ;' and, ' do all to the glory 
of God.' By this standard we must judge all things, and 
be judged by it in all our occupations and pursuits. 

" I agree with you, as a general rule, in thinking that 
what is not right for a clergyman, cannot be any more so 
for a layman. But I think there are many exceptions 
to this rule. For instance, I cannot conceive there 
being anything actually wrong in an individual fishing 
or shooting. At the same time, I think such entirely 
worldly pursuits are unbecoming the character and duties 
of one who is set over souls. The same may be said of 
many things. Our great object in life is to glorify our 
rather who is in heaven, and to seek to please Him in all 
things, and to devote all we possess to His service. What- 
ever hinders us in doing these things, ought certainly to 
be given up. 

"I feel ill able to advise, but would say to you, if 
you are in doubt about anything, ask of God to guide 
your judgment, and incline your will to that course 
which He approves. Whatever appears right (God's 
word being the test), do not hesitate to engage in it. If, 
on the contrary, there is any doubt, give it up at once. 
God will guide you aright, if you lean upon Him. See 
the promise, Phil. iv. 6, 7." 



216 RETURN TO ENGLAND. 

If there was one thing more impressed on Captain 
Hammond's mind than another, it was this deep sense of 
the necessity of separation from the world. All his cor- 
respondence shews this ; and a remark that he made to a 
younger brother, in reference to this subject, deserves 
mention. They were dining together, after Captain Ham- 
mond's return from Canada, with another friend. The 
latter said, " I wonder, if I was to go to the theatre now, 
whether I should enjoy it?" Captain Hammond re2:)lied, 
" If you found yourself there, a sight of the Saviour on 
His cross would take away all relish for it." 

That he felt the necessity of living "out of the world" 
as far as its pleasures and follies go, and above it and 
beyond it, even in its duties, occupations, and ties of every 
nature, may be gathered from the next letter. 

"December 6, 1849. 
" I am praying for a greater measure of contentment. 
We need this much ; there is a natural craving after some- 
thing earthly which we think would fill up our cup of 
happiness. Oh, to be a weaned child ! in whatever state 
we are therewith to be content ; anxious only to please 
our Lord and Master ; to glorify Him in our bodies and 
spirits. I have been thinking more lately on the subject 
of the Lord's second appearing. The more I meditate on 
it, the more deeply practical does it appear. Did we live 
in the light of His second coming, how detached would 
our hearts be from all that now binds them to earth. 
How jealous should we be of taking too much thought for 
the cares, and the pleasures, and the schemes of this world, 
seeing that all these things shall be dissolved. With one 



THE SECOND COAnNG OP THE LORD. 217 

precious word I say, good-night. 'Abide in Him that 
when He shall appear we may have confidence' (1 John 
ii. 28). — In the love of Jesus, your most affectionate, 

"M. M. H." 

The next extracts were written to a lady, whose husband 
fell a self-sacrifice to his ministering zeal during the fatal 
fever at Montreal, and whose loss was deeply felt by his 
congregation at Trinity. 

"My DEAR Mrs W * * *, — I was much grieved to hear 
from D * * * so bad an account of dear Trinity. My 
heart yearns with peculiar affection to those walls, so hal- 
lowed in my remembrance. What a lesson is taught us 
from the history of that little church, during the last two 
years, to ' cease from men.' You must doubtless feel the 
sad change very keenly. Who would have thought in the 
spring of 1847, that a cloud so dark would have burst 
on that then flourishing little church. But blessed be 
God, the believer in Jesus does not sorrow as those without 
hope. Soon will sorrow be exchanged for unclouded bliss, 
and all tears wiped away. Soon shall we join the com- 
pany who have reached the heavenly Jerusalem, and join 
our voices with those loved ones who have gone before us, 
and with them take up the notes of eternal praise. ' To 
him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his 
own blood.' 'Yet a little while, and he that shall come 
will come, and shall not tarry.' Indeed, these are words of 
comfort with which to cheer and comfort one another as 
we journey through this lonely wilderness. Some are 
called upon to pass through the deeper waters, and to 



218 RETURN TO ENGLAND. 

drink a larger measure of the cup of sorrow. But how 
precious to them is He who bears them up ; how deep is 
that joy which succeeds the night of weeping 

" I have seen Mr H * * * more than once, and have 
been much pleased with the little I have seen of him; 
such earnestness, such charity, such humility — with love 
to Christ such as one does not often meet with. He seems 
to realise the promise, that those who give up all for Christ 
shall receive a hundredfold for all they lose for His sake. . . . 

" What of Montreal ? and other spots so hallowed in 
my recollection in Canada ? I cannot refrain from writing 
at greater length than perhaps I ought : yet why should 
apology be necessary when it is of the Lord's people and 
the Lord's work that we speak ? Surely it is our privilege 
to speak of common interests, common hopes, common 
joys, and common sorrows, and then to realise our com- 
munion in Jesus." 



MAKRIAGE. 219 



CHAPTER XV. 

*' There is an outer world, and there is an inner centre; 
And many varying rings concentric round the self. 
For first about a man — after his communion with heaven — 
Is found the helpmate even as himself; the wife of his vows and affections. 
Wheel in wheel, and world in world, come the band of children. 
And tender nest of young soft hearts ; each to be separately studied ; 
And a man blest with these hath made his own society." 

Proverbial Philosophy. 

It was natural to a mind daily increasing in spiritual 
growth, daily sitting looser to the things of the world, 
that the ordinary habits of barrack life, and the tone and 
conversation of a mess-room should become less and less 
congenial. It could not well be otherwise; and at Park- 
hurst, where the depot of several regiments were united, 
and the society of the mess-room was not even that of his 
own regiment, Maxy Hammond began to feel strongly 
the chilling influences around him, and to yearn for a home 
of his own. He remembered, with a grateful heart, how, 
in the home of a brother officer, he had first drunk in 
those truths which had been the pole-star of his after-life; 
and he longed to have an opportunity of offering to others 
a welcome, which had conferred so great a blessing on 
himself. It was his ardent desire to be the head of a 



220 MARRIAGE. 

Christian household. The text that he used often to 
allude to as describing this was Psalm cxviii. 1 5, " The 
voice of rejoicing and salvation are in the tabernacles of 
the righteous." Captain Hammond looked forward to 
marriage, therefore, as the means of realising this happi- 
ness. He had a very high view of its blessedness, as 
illustrating the union between Christ and His Church. In 
a note to his brother, he says, " I trust, if it be the Lord's 
will, there will be a way opened up in His providence 
towards the attainment of my wishes. But I desire to 
remember that the time is short, and that we nmst learn 
to sit loosely to earthly hopes and prospects, though it is 
lawful to desire a Christian companion, coupling the desire 
with *if the Lord will.' Oh! for a more realising sense 
of the presence and all-sufficiency of Jesus ! we should then 
look less to the creature, and feel that He is enough." At 
an earlier time, speaking of another's marriage, he said, 
" The great thing is * character;' such a character, I mean, 
as is described in the last chapter of Proverbs. "_ Accord- 
ingly, early in June 1850, he writes to announce to his 
numerous friends the happy change which awaited him : — 

June 12, 1850. 
" My dear Mrs H ♦ # #, — I am resolved not to let 
another day pass without announcing to you an event of 
great importance as regards myself — that I am going to 

be married (if the Lord will) I feel sure that you 

and your dear husband -will unite with us in the earnest 
prayer, that our union may be in the Lord ; that it may be 
our first and great desire that the name of Jesus may be 
glorified in it.'* 



ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS MARRIAGE. 221 

To one of his brothers, he says : — 

"June 11, 1850. 
" Our prayer is, that we may be His, that our union 
may be in Him, and to Him ; that our one desire and aim 
may be to glorify Him in our bodies, and in our spirits, 
which are His.*' 

In another letter, dated 

"Parkhurst, June 15, 1850. 
" I desire to recognise the hand of my gracious and 
loving Father, in this great instance of His goodness, for 
I cannot doubt that the gift is from Him. I feel that 
His blessing will rest upon our union. What a mercy to 
have been permitted to secure the affections of one who 
will lead me on, and help me forward in the journey home- 
wards ! " 

To a brother officer — 

Parkhurst, July 9, 1850. 

"Now do make haste, and find your way across the 
great pond which is between us, as soon as possible, for I 
want you to be in time for my marriage ! I am in hopes 
there will be a great gathering of the original brethren on 
the eventful occasion. L * * *, W * * *, G * * *, 
and yourself. How I wish that dear J * * * might also 

be of the number Ought I not to be thankful! I 

am thankful, though not sufficiently so. God has granted 
me all the desires of my heart. My happiness appears 
greater each day, and the prospect before me bright 
indeed. But I feel what special need there is to watch 



222 MAERIAGE. 

and be sober; for if we look for rest on earth, we are 
surely deceiving ourselves. I do rejoice; but it is with 
trembling, knowing that the dream of earthly happiness 
may pass away in a moment, and then what has the soul 
to rest on if the creature has been made an idol. Christ 
must be all in all. His love must be supreme in the 
heart, or earthly blessings will be turned to a curse. Do 
pray for me, that I may receive this gift from the Lord, 
as a talent to be used to His glory/' 

In August 1850, his marriage with Eosa Anne, second 
daughter of Mr Pennington, was solemnised; and the 
happy couple started for the Cumberland Lakes. There, 
among the sweet ferns and craggy rocks of Borradaile, 
with a thankful heart he considered whose hand it was 
that fashioned the soft slopes of Skiddaw, and cleft the 
slaty precipices of Honiston. He delighted to remember 
that "the mountains shall depart, and the hills be re- 
moved ; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, 
neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith 
the Lord that hath mercy on thee.'' After this tour he re- 
turned to the Isle of Wight, and took a house, with his 
wife, at Newport ; very near to which town the barracks 
of Parkhurst are situated. 

Here he soon resumed his active habits. He took the 
entire charge of the depot schools, in the week as well as 
on Sundays. He also established a Sunday school there, 
and conducted a service at the hospital on Sunday after- 
noons. Here he was permitted to see one blessed instance 
of a heart given to God, apparently through his instru- 
mentality. A little girl, the daughter of a sergeant in the 



HIS LOVE OF NATURAL HISTORY, 223 

Rifles, had been a troublesome and unruly cliild. She 
liad not long attended the school when she became very 
attentive, and evidently interested; and it was percep- 
tible that the truth was reaching her. Her conduct at 
home soon changed entirely, and she became a comfort 
and help to her parents. When the regiment was re- 
moved to Chatham, the child was attacked with scarlet 
fever; and, her illness increasing, she was visited by the 
clergyman. He found her on her deathbed. The only 
words that she had strength to utter, were " My precious 
Saviour." The following day she had joined the ransomed 
host above. Captain Hammond was a very diligent 
district visitor among the poor during the time he re- 
mained at Newport. Here he also formed a friendship 
with a family, which was among his strongest and most 
enduring. 

His home, at this time, was the picture of happiness; and 
pleasant, indeed, were those excursions to the Needles, or 
to Alum Bay, when, with a face beaming with delight, he 
would join the party with some fossil he had found ; or 
with some wild flower, over which, as he examined it with 
his lens, he would dwell with admiring wonder at the 
wisdom which had formed it, and would see in it a 
Father's love. He used to say that he regarded a love 
of nature, and a capacity for enjoying the works of God's 
hands, as manifestations of His power and greatness, 
as a high Christian privilege, and a specially lawful 
source of delight — 

" Birds and beasts. 

And the mute fish that glances in the stream ; 

And harmless reptile, coiling in the sun ; 



224s MARRIAGE. 

And gorgeous insect, hovering in the air; 
The fowl domestic, and the household dog; 
In his capacious mind, he loved them all/' 

He was very fond of those lines of Cowper's, ending 
with, "My Father made them all;" and, frequently, in 
his drives through the beautiful parts of the island, 
would ask his wife to repeat them. After one of these 
botanising excursions, he came into the room with a 
flower, saying that, as he picked it, the words came 
forcibly into his mind — 

" For that Thy name is near, Lord, 
Thy wondrous works declare ;" 

and added, " What delight it gives to the believer to feel 
the nearness of God, as displayed in the care bestowed 
upon each insect and flower." 

In the midst of all this happiness, he learned that the 
wife of his very dearest friend had been taken from him. 
While his own cup of happiness was overflowing, he felt 
more tenderly for the grief of another. 

"But what a change!" he writes in a letter to his 
mother, " to put ofi" the vile body, to be made like imto 
His glorious body ! Scarcely had she tasted the sweet- 
ness of the marriage-tie on earth, before she was called to 
sit down at the marriage-supper of the Lamb. ' I heard 
a voice from heaven, saying. Blessed are they which are 
called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb ' (Rev. xix. 9). 
This was the chapter on which I heard such a beautiful 
exposition, by Capel Molyneux, the day before the 
wedding. A year and five days have passed since then, 



ALMSGIVING. 225 

and the bridal wreath has been exchanged for the crown 
of glory. For her, we cannot but rejoice and praise. Her 
works testify that she was ripe for glory. So the heavenly 
reaper put in His sickle, and gathered her into His garner. 
But the poor mourner, 'the desolate widower;' the be- 
reaved and smitten mother ! these call forth our sympathy 
and our heartfelt prayers." 

And in another letter, he says again — 

"This seems, indeed, a mysterious providence, but 
doubtless it is a loving one. How it should teach us to 
sit loose to earthly objects, seeing that the most precious 
of them may be removed from our embrace. I feel this 
especially ; for I tremble lest I make an idol of my wife." 

Captain Hammond's altered position in life, as a mar- 
ried man, with the increased expense of an establishment, 
induced him, at this time, to consider a more systematic 
course in distributing his general charities. Hitherto, 
having had none but himself to provide for, they had been 
large. But he was now obliged to reduce them; and, 
knowing that God accepts according to the " willing 
mind," he set a minimum to his expenditure in alms 
at one-tenth of his income. Still he did not adhere to 
this sum; but rejoiced in giving up to his means, and 
sometimes beyond, when objects of interest were brought 
before him. Some texts, which he wrote on this sub- 
ject in a MS. book, are characteristic of his feeling on 
this head : — 

" Remember the words of tlie Lord Jesus Christ, how 



226 MAEEIAGK 

he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive" 
(Acts XX. 35). 

" Ye know the grace of oiir Lord Jesus Christ, tliat 
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor; 
that ye, through his poverty, might be rich" (2 Cor. 
viii. 9). 

" For even Christ pleased not himself " (Kom. xv. 3). 

At this time he expected to be removed to Chatham : — 

"There is no doubt, I fear, of Chatham being our 
final destination; a vile place in itseK; truly a place 
where Satan's seat is. But what a comfort to know 
that our God shall choose our inheritance for us, which 
settles and quiets the mind. It is enough to have the 
promise, 'Lo! I am with you always.' The presence of 
Jesus is sufficient to make glad ' the wilderness,' and the 
desert to rejoice and blossom like the rose." 

He had chosen a text, on the occasion of his marriage, 
looking forward to a wandering life. He had it engraved 
on his seal, and often used to allude to it when people 
condoled with him on being sent to disagreeable quarters. 
It was Ps. xlvii. 4 — " He shall choose our inheritance for 
us." We can trace this same feeling in a letter, written 
to a friend, who had been ordered to another quarter: — 

"if ay 24, 1852. 

" I do feel very sorry for you, both in having to break up 

your comfortable and happy present home, and to leave 

so many friends and objects of interest at Woolwicli. 

But we must look higher: to Him that app.')inis for 



"HE SHALL CHOOSE OUR INHERITAiTCE FOR US." 227 

US the bounds of our habitation, and who chooseth out 
for His people their inheritance. This is a blessed 
thought to the Christian, that all his steps are ordered by 
the Lord, and that it is He who directs his way. It will 
be our earnest prayer that His presence and blessing 
may go with you, that you may have grace to carry the 
seed of the gospel with you, and to diffuse the blessings 
you have yourself found, as you have opportunity. In 
this act of our life, as soldiers and missionaries, how deep is 
the responsibility that rests upon us; and how great 
the privilege and honour of being called upon to witness 
for Him, whose name we bear, and whom we profess to 
serve." 



228 CONSClENTIOUSNESa. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

*' ' Do all to the glory of God.* All— the very least things, which all must 
do every day — which our Lord includes under the name of daily bread ; 
that so we may stop at nothing short of all : but our whole being, doing, 
thinking, living, willing, having, longing, be wrapt up, gathered, con- 
centrated, in the one will and good pleasure of God." — Dr Puset. 

The change of quarters to Chatham very soon occurred, 
and in September following we find Captain Hammond 
dating a letter from thence on the subject of the establish- 
ment of an Army Prayer Union. This suggestion had been 
put forward by Captain T * * *, formerly of the 2d Life 
Guards ; and, in reply to a communication on the subject, 
Captain Hammond writes : — 

"Chatham, September 15, 1851. 
" I have to thank you, as well as some other friend, for 
your having sent me your proposal for an Army Prayer 
Union. Most cordially do I unite with you in the object 
proposed ; and I bless God that He has put it in your 
heart to undertake it. To me it appears very singular 
that this object should have been contemplated and carried 
into effect by some of God's servants, who feel an interest 
in the spiritual welfare of the army, at this particular time. 



PEOPOSED ARMY PKAYER UNION. 220 

For it so happens, that I had been thinking upon this very 
same subject for several weeks past ; and it was my inten- 
tion to take immediate steps towards forming such a 
Prayer Union. I had thought of the names of about forty 
friends, to whom I was going to write, when, to my sur- 
prise and great delight, your proposal was put into my 
hands last evening by my friend Captain J * * *, and I 
was rejoiced to find that the desire of my heart had been 
anticipated and accomplished already. Your name had 
been suggested to my mind as one who might well under- 
take to receive names, &c. ; but amidst your nmltiplied 
engagements in various Christian objects, I hardly imagined 
you could have undertaken it. God grant that the pro- 
posal may commend itself to very many dear brethren 
in the army who love the Lord Jesus ! Allow me to sug- 
gest some slight alterations in addition to the prayer you 
have already drawn up : — 

" 1 . As to the time. That it be once a week, say every 
Thursday, instead of once a month only. 

" 2. That chaplains should be invited to join. 

" 3. That the following subjects for prayer be specified: 
(1.) Officers of high rank and authority. (2.) Military 
chaplains. (3.) Regimental Day and Sunday schools. 

'* 4. That all who profess themselves followers of Christ 
may adorn the gospel by holy and consistent lives ; that 
they may be enabled to walk in wisdom towards those 
who are without ; and that they may be endued with sound 
wisdom and boldness in confessing Christ before men. 

" 5. That the cause of missions to the heathen and the 
interests of pure religion in the colonies may be advanced 
by means of God's servants in tlio .'.irmy. 



230 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

" I remain, my dear sir, faithfully yours in the bonds 
of the gospel, "M. M. H." 

He adds on this subject, Nov. 17, 1851 : — 

" It was suggested to me the other day, that it would 
be desirable that the Union should embrace the navy also. 
Perhaps such a person as Admu-al # * * or Sir # * ♦ 
would take up the matter. Have you thought anything 
further of publishing the names for private circulation 
among the members? It might tend to the advantage 
and convenience of knowing to whom one might look for 
Christian sympathy, when brought into contact with any 
portion of the army or fleet. I feel sure that very many 
Christian officers, now in the Crimea, are unknown to eacli 
other even by name. It might be of the greates.t benefit to 
some young Christians could they have the advantage of 
intercourse with others like-minded.'' 

Three years later he writes to Captain T ♦ * * on the 
same subject :— 

" Dover, December' 5, 1854. 

" I am thankful to learn that you have as many as 300 
names, including non-commissioned officers. It is also 
gratifying to know that a similar Union already exists in 
the navy. A circular at this time would be very useful 
when the Lord's chastening is upon us as a nation." 

At the request of the gentleman who was the origi- 
nator of the Army Prayer Union, we introduce here a 
printed statement of its objects: — 



AEMY PRAYER UNION — ITS OBJECTS. 231 

ARMY PRAYER UNION, 

FOR BOTH OFFICERS AND MEN. 

" ' Again, I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as 
touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my 
Father which is in heaven' (Matt, xviii. 19). 

" ' And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask 
anything according to his will, he heareth us' (1 John v. 14). 

" You are invited to unite on the 1st of each month specially, and 
also every Sunday morning, with others of the Lord's people, formerly in 
the army, or now serving at home or abroad, in either social or private 
prayer, as may be convenient in each locality. The following objects 
are suggested : — 

" 1. That we may have a deeper sense of our own sinfulness, failure, 
and neglect in watching unto prayer for opportunities to serve and 
glorify our God, 

" 2. That, as children of God, we may increasingly manifest our 
union with Jesus, our risen Lord, by a life more simply devoted to His 
service, a more Avatchful, subdued, and prayerful spirit, with greater 
delight in His Word; more oneness with His people, and love for the 
Bouls of others; greater self denial and victory over the world, the 
flesh, and the devil ; and that we may energetically seek to honour and 
use the Lord's-day. 

" 3. That, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, more energy may be 
used for the spread of the truth, as it is in Jesus, in the army; and 
that God may be pleased to bless the efforts already made, to the con- 
version of many, and the strengthening of those converted to stand 
out as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. 

" 4. That our hearts may be raised up in praise and thanksgiving 
to God for His loving-kindness and long-suffering towards us, sparing 
us till now, and giving us any desire to use those open doors of service 
which He still graciously affords us; as well as for every measure of 
blessing which has followed the means already used. 

" 5. That we fail not to rem-mber the Queen, and all those who are 
in positions of authority and responsibility, danger, or difficulty, as well 



232 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

as all ministers, schoolmasters, schools, hospitals, widows, wives, and 
children connected with the service. 

'* Names, 

" 6. That we acknowledge with thankfulness, that within two or 
three months of the issuing of the first edition of this paper, a Union 
for Prayer for the Royal Navy, and another for the Corps of Royal 
Engineers, were circulated in a similar manner to our own. The day 
and hour fixed by the former is every Sunda}^ from 7 to 11 a.m., and 
the latter every Monday. Within six months 300 names were recorded 
on our list. 

" Any suggestions, as well as the names and addresses, now, and 
from time to time, of any who wish to join in this object, will be 
thankfully received, postpaid, by Captain Trotter, late 2d Life 
Guards. It is intended, occasionally, to communicate by way of 
remembrance with every person who shall give an address in the 
United Kingdom, whence letters can be forwarded if they are abroad. 

" Dyrham Park, Barnet, Herts, 
" England, June 1851." 

At Chatham, as usual, Captain Hammond sought imme- 
diate occasion for usefuhiess, and lent his zealous co-opera- 
tion towards another institution at that time projected — 
The Naval and Military Scripture Readers' Association : — 

" The proposed Naval and Military Scripture Readers' 
Association," he says, in a letter to an officer, " is a de- 
lightful idea. May the Lord bring good out of it ! I 
am strongly of opinion that it would be better to act 
quite independently of any other existing society. If it 
is distinctly a naval and military thing, many more sup- 
porters may be reckoned upon than if it were connected 
with anything else. I have written to ask W * * * if 
he woidd not take part in such a movement." 



SCRIPTURE readers' ASSOCIATION. 233 

And, writing again to the same officer, December 19, 
1851;— 

"I am glad you have been so successful about your 
missions. Our income for the first year is nearly raised, 
and a pious and altogether j^romising man is engaged for 
tlie work, to commence operations on the 1st January. 
He is to have £60 a-year, which, I think, is reasonable." 

In connexion with this, he writes: — 

" Canterbury, April 23, 1853. 
"I wrote on behalf of the Kent Scripture Readers' 
Association, to confirm the appointment of Mr B * * * 
as the agent to be employed at Brompton — the parent 
society to continue the same grant towards assisting the 
payment of the salary as they made before, viz., £25 
per annum/* 

Yet, with his hands always employed in some useful 
work, he still felt that he was doing too little — less than 
he might, and less than others. " I envy those men," he 
says, " who find time for everything, and who get through 
all that they mean to do. I believe we might do more 
than we have any idea of, if we are only resolved to do 
it ; and this is true in spiritual as well as natural things. 
The indolent Christian cannot be a faithful one. The soul 
will and does languish, if we cease from active and self- 
denying diligence in all things. Oh, to have the film re- 
moved from our eyes, and to see the ruined and miser- 
able condition of those who are without Christ; and to 



234? CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

behold also the glory, the fulness, and the freeness»of 
ft'race that there is in Jesus ! I feel how easy it is to 
become careless and indifferent about the souls of others, 
from a want of the realisation of these two things." 

And, a very short time before, he wrote (March 3, 
Newport) — "I send you a short letter from Rev. Mr 
C * * *, thinking that you may find it calculated to stir 
up and animate your heart in the great work of * pressing 
towards the mark for the prize of your ' high calling in 
Christ Jesus/ .... I feel ashamed and humbled at my 
stunted growth, when one who set out long after me has 
so outstripped me in the heavenly race. This ought not, 
and need not to be. The fulness of Jesus is not exhausted, 
neither are His promises limited. I feel that my spiritual 
leanness is because of my indolence ; ' Ye have not, be- 
cause ye ask not.' Let our motto be henceforth, ' Looking 
unto Jesus."' 

At Chatham, Captain Hammond formed, with an officer 
of the Royal Engineers, one of those close friendships 
which seeiAed to spring up and to cling round him wher- 
ever his footsteps fell. This officer, recurring to that 
happy acquaintance, says : — 

"We had known each other but a very short time 
before we became intimate friends. I have found a 
delight in intercourse with him such as I have seldom 
experienced; and in our rides and walks together, and 
evenings very often spent at each other's houses, we 
enjoyed a hearty, friendly sympathy, which I look back 
upon as one of the greatest blessings of my life. Whilst 
at Chatham, he was ever thinking of doing good. The 



USEFULNESS AT CHATHAM. 235 

first scheme of usefulness lie set on foot there, was 
a Sunday school for the children of the soldiers of the 
garrison, which he superintended and managed, with 
the assistance of his wife, Mrs J * * *, and other friends. 
There was some opposition to the establishment of this 
school; but he was not thereby discouraged in the work, 
but continued it during the whole time he was at Chatham, 
until ordered to Canterbury in the following year. He 
used to have a Bible class in the week at the boys' 
school in Chatham Barracks; and he took the greatest 
delight in making arrangements for their school feasts, 
making up the decorations of the room, and distributing 
Scripture prints among them. He was, besides, instru- 
mental in inducing several officers with their families, 
and young officers, with two clergymen, to meet every 
fortnight at each other's houses, for reading the Bible 
and prayer. There was one friend of ours,, a lieutenant 
in the * * *th, to whom he was of especial use in en- 
lightening him with respect to his views of Christianity. 
Mrs* * * told me in Malta, not long since, that she 
longed to write to express her gratitude for the incal- 
culable benefit in spiritual things that Captain Hammond 
had, in a great measure, been the means of producing in 
her son." 

There are probably f^w persons by whom the leading 
anniversaries of the year — such as Christmas, New Year's 
Day, our birth-days, or other regularly recurring periods 
— are altogether passed unheeded. We most of us cling 
to them, with more or less observance, as marked points 
in the passage of time— as resting-places in the journey 
of life, where we can pause and look back, each with such 



236 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

mingled feelings as belong to our own individual selves, 
but each, in common with the rest, looking forward with 
some measure of hope to the future. Maxy Hammond 
seems very constantly to have used these seasons as opjDor- 
tunities for an interchange of thought, sympathy, encou- 
raojement, or exhortation, with those friends with whom 
he corresponded; and on one of these occasions he writes 
the next two letters : — 

"December 24, 1851. 

"My dear Fkiend, — I cannot pass by this joyous 
season — the eve of Christmas, and the anniversary of the 
year — without sending you the assurances of my earnest 
wishes and prayers for your welfare, both temporally and 
spiritually. It is a happy recurring period of the year, 
when our hearts seem peculiarly drawn forth towards 
those whom we consider as our friends; and among 
them I reckon you as one of the dearest and most 

attached which my gracious God has given me 

At present, let us dwell for a little on the glad tidings 
of great joy which were at tliis time announced in the 
song of the heavenly host, when the birth of the Babe at 
Bethlehem was made known to the shepherds. 

" Blessed be God, then, glad tidings have come to you 
and to me ; so that we, too, may rejoice in the wondrous 
event which we at this time commemorate. And as the 
wise men declared that they had seen his star in the east, 
so may we, too, be enabled to testify that the midnight 
shadows have passed away ; that the day has dawned, and 
that the day-star has arisen up in our darkened and foolish 
hearts. Yes, my dear brother, I would wish you a meiiy 



THE GLAD TIDINGS. 237 

Christmas, not in the worldly sense which is used to 
desecrate this holy season, and to dishonour Him whom 
we profess to remember, but in a sense of a holy rejoicing 
in the blessed fact which is revealed to us in the gospel, 
that iinto its a chikl is born, unto us a son is given, whose 
name is called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, 
The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. And since 
He came into the flesh, and endured a life of suffering 
such as none other ever underwent, until He finally ended 
it by becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the • 
cross, for our si7is, we may at this season look forward 
with humble, yet joyful hope to the period of His second 
coming, when He will gather His elect from the four 
corners of the earth, and shall give them a name and a 
place better than of sons and of daughters in the kingdom 
above. This is that blessed hope which, if more fully 
realised and more habitually meditated upon, would afford 
comfort in sorrow, support in trial, strength in weakness, 
and soberness in prosperity. 

" * " The Lord is at hand. " Then, sorrowing believer, lift 
up your head, for your redemption draweth nigh; you 
shall soon reach the place where sorrow and sighing 
shall for ever flee away, and where God will wipe away all 
tears from off all faces. '* The Lord is at hand." Then, 
tried and afflicted believer, rejoice that the period has 
arrived when it will be seen that your light affliction, 
which was but for a moment, has been working out for 
you a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. " The 
Lord is at hand.'' Then, weak and fainting believer, take 
courage. The fight is over, the conflict done with; the 
world, self, and Satan overcome ; the shout of victory is 



£33 CCNiSClENTIUOSNESS. 

already heard, and you will soon be numbered with those 
who came out of great tribulation, but who are now arrayed 
in white linen, with palms in their hands. " The Lord is 
at hand." Then let your moderation be known to all men, 
believer ! if tempted by prosperity, if satisfied by thy 
earthly rest.*' I hope to be enabled to pour out my heart 
in prayer for you at this time, and I know I need not ask 
you to do the same for me; nor need I remind you how 
deeply I need your prayers, for my wants and my short- 
comings are enough to exhaust the patience of the God of 
patience Himself, did we not know that His compassions 
fail not, and that He hateth putting away. I know some 
of your trials, and, therefore, I would ask that you may 
find repose in resting your soul on the faithfulness of your 
covenant God, that you may find that it is indeed — 
* Sweet to be passive in His hands, 
And know no will but His.' 
May Jesus be felt by you as all-sufficient, whatever trials 
you may be called to endure ! May His grace be found 
sufficient and His presence a full compensation for the 
loss of earthly comforts! I cannot ask more for you than 
to turn Phil. iii. 1 into prayer, and to pray that you may 
know Christ in the power of His resurrection and the 
fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to 
His death. 

" And now, let me tell you some of my manifold wants 
and deficiencies, that you may act accordingly. More 
love to God, more realising faith, more of the spirit of 
prayer, more self-denial, more faithfulness in confessing 
Christ before men, and more zeal to promote the glory of 

* This piissaye appears to have been quoted from a published tract. 



LETTER ON CHRISTMAS-DAY. 239: 

God. How sad it is that at the close of a year, or at the 
close of a single day, we should find that our resolutions 
have been so seldom fulfilled, and our progress heaven- 
ward so slow! I often think of these lines in Keble's 
•Morning Hymn' — 

' Lord, teach us this, and every day 
To live more nearly as we pray.' 
How much I long to see you again in the flesh; but the 
prospect of doing so seems very remote. Perhaps we may 
not be permitted to meet until we reach the heavenly city, 
and tread the streets of gold together. But how glorious 
will that meeting be, when we shall have done with sin, 
and when these vile and perishable bodies shall have been 
made like unto Christ's glorious body. Oh ! to be enabled 
to say with Paul, ' I have a desire to depart and be with 
Christ.' If this desire is faint and difficult to trace, alas, 
I often feel it must be because communion with Him on 
earth is so little cultivated. The soul that lives nearest to 

Him will long most to be with Him where He is 

" What a state France is in ! Who can tell what may 
come of all that has happened? It is our comfort and 
our happiness to know that ' the Lord reigneth.' Every 
Christian ought to be upon his watch-tower, that so he 
may be prepared to meet any storm that may arise. What 
a memorable night was that, when the first coming of 
Jesus was announced to the shepherds keeping watch over 
their flocks. It may be that the cry, ' Behold, the bride- 
groom cometh,' will be also raised at midnight — may we 
be found, like the shepherds, watching likewise. — With 
much love, believe me, most affectionately yours in the 
Lord, M. M. H.' 



24.0 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

" My very dear Friend, — ' Grace to yon, and peace 
from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.' 
I cannot let the old year pass away, and the new year 
arrive, without sending you a word or two of greetin.1^. 
We thought of you on Christmas-day, and felt peculiar 
pleasure in calling to remembrance the happy evening we 
spent together a year ago, w^hen we sang together, ' Glory 
to the new-born king/ How hallowed is the recollection 
of such intercourse, and how different from that of the 
world. If the soul is indeed alive and near to God, how 
bright and pleasant are even earthly scenes, when sancti- 
fied by the Word of God and prayer. The passing away 
of the old year seems a peculiarly solemn season ; remind- 
ing us of broken vows, lost opportunities, and neglected 
privileges. Oh ! what could we do if the Lord were 
extreme to mark iniquities. But blessed be His name ! 
He is a God who delighteth in mercy, and it is our un- 
speakable comfort to know that the fountain for sin and 
uncleanness is ever open, ever full, ever fresh. God grant 
that the coming year may find us growing in grace, culti- 
vating holiness of heart and life, and constantly striving 
to attain to that spirituality of mind which is life and 
peace. I feel that the spring and secret of growth lies in 
communion with God in prayer, and we shall be found 
advancing or declining just as we are diligent or remiss in 
this holy exercise. I feel how sadly I come short in this 
respect myself, and I know that this is the cause why my 
soul so often cleaves to the dust. Let us pray one for 
another, that we may stand perfect and complete, lacking 
nothing. — With our united Christian love, believe me 
ever your affectionate friend, M. M. H." 



EFFECTUAL WORKING OF A TRACT. 241 

Perhaps in connexion with the subject of special seasons, 
whether of Christian joy or humiliation, it may not be 
out of place to mention one circumstance relating to Cap- 
tain Hammond's private practice and habits. Very jealous 
as he was of anything approaching to substitution of out- 
ward ordinances for spiritual religion and the vital energy 
of the heart, yet he did not undervalue, nay, highly 
esteemed, every ordinance rightly regarded. And in this 
light he occcasionally used fasting as a means of gi-ace, 
with prayer. He thought it beneficial to the Christian on 
particular occasions, when he desired especially to call his 
sins to remembrance, and to humble himself before God. 

The next letter, to a friend who had been ordered away, 
is remarkable as an instance of the direct and effectual 
working of a tract : — 

"Chatham, Maoxh 22, 1852. 

" My dear Friend, — . . . You have left many friends 
behind who lament you. But this must be the way of 
our pilgrim life. Our tent is pitched for a little time, and 
then we remove it again to some other place. Sweet is 
the assurance of our covenant God. ' My presence shall 
go with thee, and I will give thee rest' (Ex. xxxiii. 14). 
May our rest ever be found in abiding in Jesus : looking 
unto Him we may be assured that He will be to us as a 
cloudy pillar by day and of fire by night, to guide and 
protect us by His providence, until at length He conducts 
us to the perfect rest above. . . . 

" The reading of Ryle's Tract on the Cross made a deep 
impression upon * * *. The Thursday following I re- 
ceived a note from him asking for another tract. * I have 

Q 



242 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

to thank you much/ he says, ' for having put it in my 
way. Your reading, I firmly believe, kindled a new light 
in me ; and has, through God, I fervently trust, saved me 
from falling into an error of which I was, until then, really 
unconscious, I mean the sin of Unitarianism : for I cannot 
now conceal from myself the painful fact, that hitherto I have 
been more a nominal than a real Christian, praying to God 
Almighty, but not leaning for support on Christ.' I know 

you will feel deeply interested in such glad tidings 

I purpose asking him to join our Thursday evening parties. 
. . . May the Lord the Spirit abundantly bless you, and 
make you faithful in every good word and work ! — Yours 
ever in the best of bonds. M. M. H." 

From Portsmouth Captain Hammond replies to a friend, 
who had requested him to become sponsor to his child : — 

" My deak Pkiend, — Let me say how much I felt your 
affection in wishing me to be one of the sponsors to your 
little son, and with what true pleasure it gives me to be 
able to accept this responsible trust. ... I feel deeply 
humbled under the consciousness of my utter unworthiness. 
Indeed you little know the vileness and depravity of my 
heart, and how hard it is to keep the flame of spiritual life 
aKve in my soul. But it is our unspeakable comfort to 
know, that while we dare not presume to come before the 
Lord trusting in our own righteousness, we have an advo- 
cate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; whose 
blood can cleanse the iniquity of our holy things, and who is 
ever at the right hand of God to present our vile sacrifices, 
thro\igh the sweet incense of his own righteousness and 



THE OFFICE OF A SPONSOR. 243 

intercession. This blessed assurance emboldens me to 
undertake the office; and I pray God that I may have 
grace in fulfilHng it, and that I may be preserved from 
sinning against the Lord in ceasing to pray for him. May 
He indeed number your little one among His jewels, and 
give him a name and a place better than of sons and of 
daughters, by writing upon him his new name, and sealing 
him as His own from his earliest days.'' 

In the same letter, alluding to some afflictive dispensa- 
tion that had befallen some friends at Toronto, he says : — 

" How deeply afflicted that family have been ! Wave 
after wave has fallen upon them, and were it not that we 
know that the Judge of all the earth cannot err, we might 
be tempted to think that He dealt too severely. We 
must wait until we land upon the shore where tears shall 
be wiped away from all faces, and where we shall know 
even as we are known, before we can understand the 
mysteries of all His providential dealings." 

The next letter is to his youngest brother, who had 
now entered the ministry : — 

" Canterbury, June 8, 1853. 

" My dear H * * *, — By this time you will 

be getting accustomed to the new duties and new mode 
of life in which you have entered; for, although you have 
been prepaiing for this work for months, and even for 
years past, and have, to some extent, been engaged in the 
kind of work which now occupies you, yet it is a different 



244 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

thing really to enter upon the work of a minister of 
Christ — the most blessed and the most arduous which 
can enofao^e a man. And who is sufficient for these 
things ? You, indeed, are not. But, blessed be God, your 
sufficiency is of God; and His grace shall be sufficient 
to you in every time of need. We thought of and prayed 
for you on Sunday, as you were, for the first time, pub- 
licly lifting up your voice as an ambassador of Christ, and 
witnessing for Him to perishing sinners. I long to hear 
how you got through; though I doubt not the Lord stood 
by and strengthened you. It must be indeed difficult, 
perhaps impossible, to human nature, on such occasions, 
80 far to forget self as to desire only the glory of God, 
and that His word might be blessed in the souls of the 
hearers — we are so much more prone to seek to please 
men, than God who trieth the hearts. May the Lord 
Almighty, by His Spirit, keep you humble and prayerful ; 
enabling you at all times to remember that you are but 
the earthen vessel, the instrument ; that you can neither 
supply yourself with oil, nor communicate eflfectually to 
others,, without the vital energy of the Holy Ghost. How 
different are our callings in life ! I am sure we are both 
rightly placed, and that we may both live and die to His 
glory, if only we possess a single eye and an undivided 

heart May you be endued with the manifold gifts 

and graces of the Spirit, and be made wise to win souls 
to Christ 1 We expect to move into camp on Tuesday. — 
Ever, &c., M. M. H." 

In the autumn of 1852, the whole battalion returned 
from Canada, and Maxy Hammond was ordered from the 



EETUEN OF THE BATTALION FROM CANADA. 245 

depot at Chatham to join the head-quarters at Canter- 
bury. His delight at re-joining his own company was 
fully reciprocated by his men, who greeted him with re- 
peated and prolonged cheers in a manner most impres- 
sive, and strongly exhibiting the estimation in which they 
held him. Those who were about him at this time were 
specially struck by the depth of his interest in the good 
behaviour and welfare of his company. On one occasion, 
when a non-commissioned officer of high responsibility 
had been guilty of grave misconduct, Maxy Hammond's 
distress was extreme. One who knew him best described 
his grief at that occurrence as acute, and that he seemed 
to feel it as keenly as if a family affliction had befallen 
him. At this time the colonel of the regiment gave him 
the entire charge of both the week-day and Sunday schools. 
He had also charge of the band, and took great pains 
with the buglers, always speaking of them as " his boys." 
He induced them to attend the Sunday school, by getting 
up for them a class in a separate room, that their dignity 
might not be offended by being classed with the rest. 

While he was at Canterbury, in the spring of 1853, he 
employed himself in getting up lectures for the men on 
general subjects; and he wrote, and prepared maps for 
this purpose, "on the Opening of the Peninsular Cam- 
paigns of 1812, including the Battle of Salamanca.'^ To 
the preparation of this lecture he gave infinite pains, yet 
he never delivered it, being prevented by a temporary 
indisposition. The lecture concludes thus:— 

"Surely we cannot fail to have been struck with the 
daring intrepidity, tlie cool bravery, and the patient en- 



246 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

durance of tlie British soldier in the history of these 
campaigns. In the surprise of Ahnaraz, we have seen 
what resoiuuun and valour can efi'ect in the face of almost 
insuperable difficulties; and, in the operations around 
Salamanca, we have seen that the skill and prudence of the 
general, and the quickness and the steadiness of his 
troops, completely baffled the designs of one of Napoleon's 
commanders. Surely, as soldiers, we may learn many 
lessons from our ofallant comrades who fouo^ht Eno;land's 
battles in years gone by. That generation has passed 
away, but they have left behind them the records of their 
gallantry in many a hard-fought field. If our turn should 
come (and who shall say that it will not come ?) to fight 
for our Queen and country, let it be our fixed determina- 
tion to equal the Peninsular veterans in steadiness and 
bravery before the enemy; and let us hope and pray that 
the British army may be as distinguished for its steadi- 
ness of conduct and its high tone of morality, as it ever 
has been for its gallantry in the field." 

" To do all to the glory of Grod," was the principle that 
pervaded Maxy Hammond's life, and influenced all his 
habits. Hence many occupations, to which he was by 
nature rather disinclined than otherwise, were at once 
seen in a new light, and adopted with the pleasure which 
accompanies the performance of a duty. He was not 
naturally studious, nor even fond of any kind of reading : 
yet, obeying the precept, " Whatsoever thy hand findeth 
to do, do it with all thy might," he studied with much 
attention books of a professional character. So, from the 



INTEREST IN HIS PROFESSION. 247 

same feeling, he kept up and increased the elementary 
knowledge of military surveying which he had acquired 
at Sandhurst; and, while he was quartered at Canterbury, 
he made a careful military survey of the adjacent district. 
He had a very decided taste, however, for the practical 
part of his profession, both in the details of its internal 
economy, and in the work of the regiment in the field. 
When the Rifles were at Canterbury, a sham fight was 
projected, and came off in a neighbouring park. The 
Eifle Battalion was formed into two divisions — one, of 
course, representing the enemy — with three squadrons of 
the Carbiniers, and a troop of horse artillery acting in 
combination and support. The ground was well adapted 
for one of those mimic actions with which we have be- 
come familiar, both at Chobham and at Aldershott ; and 
the writer well remembers the thorough spirit of enjoy- 
ment with which Captain Hammond entered into the 
arrangement of the programme, and its subsequent exe- 
cution. 

During the summer of 1853, his eldest child was born 
— an event of no little happiness and cause for thankful- 
ness to him. 

" Our precious child,'' he says, in a letter to a friend, 
"was baptized yesterday (Sunday); the service was im- 
pressively performed by my brother E * * *; and we 
may hope and believe that the blessing of the Most High 
accompanied the outward sign. She is named ' Nina 
Charlotte.' 

"By the bye," he adds, when writing to a friend iu 



248 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

Canada, " I don't tliink I have written to you since the 
birth of our little one. She is now more than four 
months old, and is a dear little thing, a precious gift from 
the Lord, lent to us by Him, to be trained up for Him, 
and, we trust, to be His to all eternity." 

The remaining months of 1853 were passed quietly 
enough in camp at Chobham ; and, at the close of the 
autumn, the 2d battalion of the Rifles was ordered to 
Portsmouth. 

It was in the beginning of the year 1853 that a little 
cloud arose in the East, by many scarcely heeded, as soon 
to pass away, but whose dark folds, drifting heavily over 
the Euxine, burst forth at last in a peal of thunder upon 
the Danube. Before May, the Cossacks of the Don and 
the Oural were in movement. Gortschakoff" crossed the 
Pruth, and occupied Wallachia wdth a powerful army, and 
Europe was roused from her long slumber of peace by the 
cannon of Oltenitza, In England, our troops were startled 
in the midst of sham-fights and field-days upon the Chob- 
ham heather, by the prospect of actual warfare. To us, 
who calmly and sadly review the speculative excitements 
of that period, how charged with mournful thoughts, yet 
how full of sweet comfort, are the closing sentences of this 
letter of December ! 

" The opening of the new year is very dark and threat- 
ening. I should tremble, in looking forward, were it not 
that I know that the Lord reigneth. Humanly speaking, 
there is now little probability of escaping a terrible war. 



PKOSPECT OF WAR. 249 

If SO, I may never see the close of 1854 ! But what a 
peace-giving consideration is it, that all events shall issue 
in the furtherance of God's purposes for His own glory, 
and the glory of His Church ! And I humbly hope that, 
come life or come death, I may lay claim to the promises 
of my covenant-God, and may be assured that nothing 
will separate me from His love in Christ Jesus." 



250 THE BULGAEIAN OAJVIPAIGN. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

** And there was mustering in hot haste ; the steed. 

The glittering squadron, and the clattering car, 

Went pouring forward with impetuous speed. 

And swiftly forming in the ranks of war ; 

And the deep thunder peal on peal afar. 

And near the beat of the alarming drum, 

Roused up the soldier ere the morning star ; 

While throng'd the citizens with terror dumb, 
Or whispered with white lips, * The foe— they come ! th^y come.*" 

In the spring of 1854 all hope that a war might be 
avoided was at an end ; and early in February several 
regiments received orders to hold themselves in readiness 
for embarkation for foreign service. Among the first 
which received orders was the 2d battalion of the Eifle 
Brigade, On the 16th of February 1854, Captain Ham- 
mond writes to his mother from Portsmouth : — 

''February 16, 1854. 

"My deaeest Mothek, — I had scarcely reached the 

barracks before a message arrived from the captain of the 

Vulcan steamer, to say that he had just received orders to 

embark the Rifle Brigade, and to sail for Malta on the 24th, 



ORDEKS FOE EMBAEKATIOIs. 251 

SO we shall be off sooner than we expected. It seems 
extremely doubtful whether the troops will disembark at 
Malta at all. The general impression seems to be that 
they will only rendezvous there, and proceed together at 

once to Turkey 

" We are not allowed to take any boxes with us, and 
our baggage is not to be more than can be carried on the 
back of a mule, i.e., a couple of trunks. I think of get- 
ting, for this purpose, a pair of bullock-trunks, such as they 

use in India. I have got everything necessary 

I got a telescope at Harris's ; an excellent field-glass. I 
shall wish, when I use it, that it could give me a long sight 
of your much loved faces and of the dear old home which 
I have left behind me. But I see you all with the eye of 
the mind; and I delight to think that our spirits will often 
be together, when we bend before the throne of grace, and 
pour out our prayers for each other's welfare. God grant 
that these separations in time may lead us to long and 
look for that better inheritance which is above. Pray for 
me, dearest mother, and all of you, that my faith may not 
fail; that whatever scenes may be before me, I may so live 
in the love and fear of God, that I may ever glorify His 
holy name, and may bear witness for Him before my 
fellow-men. — With fondest love to all, ever your most 
affectionate, 

*' M. M. H." 

Essentially a soldier, an ardent and intelligent lover of 
his profession. Captain Hammond would have hailed with 
an interest, second to none, the prospects of an actual 
campaign, had no other stake than his own })een risked 



252 THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 

by the claims of war. But there were thoughts at such a 
time, that repressed the throb of pride, which may law- 
fully rise in a soldier's breast when ordered to take the 
field. The desolate wife, the sweet unconscious child, the 
broken-up home; these might well bring sadness to his 
heart. Yet, in such trials — for who can doubt ho^u sore 
such trials were to such a nature? — he knew where to look 
for support — " Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose 
mind is stayed upon thee, because he trusteth in thee." 
To this approaching separation he alludes often. 

To his father, he says: — 

" The trial is a bitter one, but we are silenced, in remem- 
bering that it is the will of that tender and loving Saviour, 
who has said that ' the very hairs of our head are all num- 
bered.'" 

And to another friend, he writes : — 

"13 Portland Terrace, Southsea, 
February 20, 1854, 
" It is indeed quite true that we are to sail in a few 

days to the East How true it is that we know not 

what a day may bring forth. I feel your sympathy. It 
is indeed a heavy trial, to have to separate for an indefinite 
time from wife and child, it may be never to return. But, 
blessed be God, we know that ' if the earthly house of this 
tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God, an 
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.' Oh ! 
how infinite is that grace and mercy, which plucked you 
and me as brands from the burning, and which has given 



THE PATH OF DUTY ONE OF SAFETY. 253 

US a good hope through Him who died for sinners, even 
the chief. In this hope and confidence I go forth, leaving 
all in His hands, praying only that I may glorify Him in 
my body and my spirit, which are His, under all circum- 
stances and in all positions. 

"Farewell, my very dear and faithful friend. — With 
Christian love to your dear wife from us both, your affec- 
tionate in the Lord Jesus, M. M. H/' 

To his mother, he says : — 

" Oh how precious are the consolations and hopes of the 
gospel, at such a time as the present when the heart- 
strings of natural affection are so violently wrenched, and 
the future looks dark and boding ! I trust we can all say, 
*It is well.' I feel that it is so, dearest mother; for I 
know that the path of duty is one of safety. I go away 
in the hope of a safe return, if the Lord will ; but let us 
all long and look for that union above where we shall see 
Christ as He is, and be made like unto Him. God has 
been very gracious to me. I never enjoyed more perfect 
peace or rest of mind than at this present time. To Him 
only be the praise." 

On the 27th of February, the 2d battalion of the Rifle 
Brigade embarked at Portsmouth, and on the 2d of March 
he writes to his wife : — 

"Off Lisbon. — Thus far has the Lord graciously brought 

us We left the dockyard very shortly after I got 

down to the vessel, and steamed out to Spithead, taking 
Avith us * * * and * * * who were unable to get from 
the vessel to the wharf, before they discovered that the 



2")1« THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 

ship was under weigh. At Spithead, we waited till the 
powder was on board, and then up anchor and away, 
taking the Needles passage to sea. I felt thankful that 
you were not there ; and I found comfort in commending 
you and our sweet little Nina to our one God and Eather. 
Oh ! may this trial lead us both nearer to Himself, and 
teach us to seek our happiness, not so much in the creature 
as I feel that I have done — ^but in Him who is our Re- 
deemer, God over all, blessed for evermore. I know I 
shall hear that you have been sustained and comforted. 
This makes me happy in thinking of you ; and in knowing 
that to us both this shall turn to our salvation, through 
our prayers, and the sufficiency of the Spirit of Christ. 

" My miseries commenced soon after we left the Needles; 
and the roll of the Atlantic began to be felt, and increased 
as we crossed the Bay of Biscay, but the wind was fair, and 
we soon reached the coast of Portugal. We expect to 
pass Gibraltar on Saturday, and if all goes well, to reach 
Malta about the end of next week. I never before felt so 
well at sea. 

" Monday the 6th, off the coast of Barhary. — Here we 
are in the Mediterranean, and in sight of the bold outline 
of mountains which run along the coast of Africa. The 
wind changed before we reached Gibraltar, and so retarded 
us, that instead of reaching * the Gut ' early on Saturday, 
we did not come abreast of the Rock till midnight. When 
it came, we saw no more than the dark outline. AVe had, 
however, a fine view of the beautiful coast before entering 
the strait, including Cadiz, and the Bay and Cape of Tra- 
falgar, and passed over the spot where the action was 
fought. Here we hailed a Spanish fishing-boat. The 



THE SPANISH COAST. 255 

picturesque crew, who were hauling up small fish as fast as 
they could throw in their lines, were so intent on their own 
business, that they seemed hardly to notice the monstrous 
ship, with its armed freight, which almost ran them down. 

" Yesterday we skirted the coast of Sj)ain with the wind 
in our teeth, and had a glorious view of the snow-clad 

peaks of the Sierra Nevada high up in the clouds 

The wind still a-head ; but we are steaming against it. 
Yesterday we could make nothing against it ; so that the 
captain let the fires out, and beat up against it under 
double reefed topsails. I enjoyed seeing them take in the 
reefs, and work the ship ; but it was too rough to be com- 
fortable." 

" Tuesday, off the coast of Algiers. — We have had a 
lovely sail to-day in close view of this lonely and desolate 
coast. The mountains rise to a considerable height and 
seem covered with a low brushwood. We saw a village 
this morning. The whole country looks arid and un- 
productive, and not likely to contain any population. 
B * # * is lono-inoj to be on shore to hunt the lions, 
which, no doubt, are to be found in those barren hills. I 
must say I feel with him a much stronger desire to shoot 
an Algerian lion than a hundred Eussians." 

" Thursday evening, off Tunis. — Two days have passed 
since I wrote last. It will not make you sad, I hope, to 
tell you that you are never away from my thoughts. 
Each day I feel more keenly the reality of our separa- 
tion ; but let not one murmur, or one hard thought of the 
tenderness of our heavenly Father, be harboured in our 
hearts. Let this word of Jesus suffice us — ' The cup that 
my Father gives me to drink, shall I not drink it?' 



256 THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 

When my heart is overwhelmed within me, then I long to 
look to the 'Eock that is higher than 1/ . . . . Just after 
I wrote yesterday, we descried huts, and people ploughing 
with oxen some miles farther, within view of a town 
(Tennery), built on a flat rock, about 100 feet above 
the sea. The houses were white; and, with the back- 
ground of noble hills, some thousands of feet high, and 
the fine bluff, which forms the headland of the cape, 
the scene was beautiful We hoisted an ensign as we 
approached, and were answered by the tricolor of the 

French As the sun rose yesterday, we came 

within view of Algiers, but at such a distance that we 

could only get a general idea In the afternoon 

we sighted, and presently passed between, the Rock 
Islands of Galita, which rise abruptly to the height of 
1200 feet. Fifteen miles to the south of this spot, the 
Avenger, steam-frigate, struck a sunken rock, in a dark 
night, blowing a gale, and all hands but six perished. 
This was in 1848. We expect to reach Malta on 
Saturday morning 

" How often have I longed to have you at my side, to 
enjoy all this lovely scenery with me, and to trace out, 
with me, the glorious works of our Creator and Redeemer. 

"Malta Harbour, Saturday morning, 11 tk — Here we 
are arrived alongside the dockyard. We know nothing 
yet of our plans until Lord Raglan arrives. 

"God bless and keep you." 

The next letter was written, from on board the Vulcan, 
to an old brother officer, who had been one of Captain 
Hammond's most intimate companions, when they were 



THE TEEMENDOUS REALITY OF RELIGION. 257 

both young subalterns in the Rifles. The letter is intro- 
duced here, as illustrating Maxy Hammond's faithfulness, 
both to his Master and to his friend. For some years 
past their intercourse had been quite broken off. The 
oflicer in question had retired from the service. But when 
an accidental circumstance led to a correspondence, Maxy 
Hammond avails himself instantly of the opportunity of 
urging upon his friend, with no less delicacy than earnest- 
ness, the acceptance of that free oiSer which had brought 
such settled peace to his own soul. Reverting to the war, 
and to their present expedition, he says : — 

" I must say I have no desire for bloodshed, and should 
be glad enough to be sent back again in peace to my wife 
and home. But these things are in higher hands than 
ours; and it is a matter of unspeakable comfort to feel 
that we have a Father in heaven, under whose protection 
and guidance all must be well. You and I have expe- 
rienced great mercies at the hand of God. It is a solemn 
question to ask ourselves. What effect have these mercies 
produced in our hearts? Forgive me for asking you 
whether you have found pardon and peace through the 
cross of Christ. If you have not, delay no longer to cast 
yourself upon Him for salvation, and remember that He is 
able to save to the uttermost those who come to Him. I 
would entreat you, my dear friend, to remember what a 
tremendous reality religion is — a reality upon which hangs 
our destiny for eternity. As far as I have practised it 
for the last nine or ten years, I have experienced its 
blessedness under all the changing circumstances of life; 
and it is that wlvicli induces me now to press the sub- 

K 



258 THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 

ject on you. That you, too, may experience the peace 
and happiness of Christ's service, is the earnest prayer 
of your sincere friend, M. M. Hammond." 

To his wife: — 

" Malta, March 15. 

"I must write you a few words of love, and tell 
you how happy I was made, on Monday evening, by 
the receipt of your precious letter. Tears of mingled 
joy and sorrow coursed freely down my cheek. I could 
not but rejoice and bless my God for the calm and 
contented spirit in which you write. I do earnestly pray 
for you; and I know that you will pray for me; but 
whatever may befall either of us, may we be enabled to 
say, heartily and unreservedly, ' Thy will be done.' This 
spirit will glorify Jesus. My dearest wife, pray for me, 
that my lamp may be kept trimmed ; and, amidst all ex- 
citements and earthward tendencies, that it may burn 
brightly, receiving new supplies of grace each day and 

hour I am sure that you are right in asking and 

expecting that the Lord, in His mercy, will bring me back 
again to you in peace, provided that you are willing that 
He should give or withhold this blessing as it seems good 
to Him. 'Be careful for nothing; but, in everything 
with prayer and supplication, let your requests be made 
known unto God.' How I long to see again that darling 
little Nina. I love to think of her, and to recall her 
bright face ; and I often thank God that He has given you 
this precious child to cheer and gladden your heart. . . . 

" The prevailing opinion seems to be, that we shall not 
mo\'e froM here until the cavalry comes up, wliich may 



MALTA. 259 

not be before the beginning of next month, and then we 
are quite ignorant of our destination — whether Constanti- 
nople, the Bay of Enos, or Adrianople. There seems to 
be little hope of a pacific arrangement. If we are to 
be plunged into war, we may pray, 'Bless Thou our 
sword ' in going forth to maintain the cause of right 
against might. And surely we may hope that the Lord 
will be on our side in the contest, though He may 
justly chasten us for our many national and individual 
sins." .... 

From Malta, March 16th, to his father : — 

" My deaeest Fathee, — ... We reached this island 
early on the 11th. Before breakfast we all turned out to 
have a look at our destination. The scene, to me, 
was most curious and novel. The island, generally speak- 
ing, is low ; the highest part being at the opposite side 
to this (Valetta). The ground, however, is much undu- 
lated, and covered with stone walls, enclosing fields of 
luxuriant growth, wherever there is any earth on which 
vegetation may take root. There is no natural soil in the 
whole island ; but almost every spot is cultivated, the earth 
being conveyed in vessels from Sicily and elsewhere. It 
is said that the knights of Malta allowed no vessel to 
come into the harbour without paying the dues in soil. 
As we approached, we passed fleets of fishing boats ; .ind 
very picturesque they were, with their high bows and 
sterns, and swarthy occupants, busily engaged in putting 
out their nets, or throwing in their lines. Here, too, we 
saw the pretty latteen-rigged boats; some of them running 



260 THE BULGAEIAN CAMPAIGN. 

before the scanty breeze, with such a crowd of canvass, 
that I could not have conceived it possible. This sketch, 
enclosed, will give you some idea of the shape of the har- 
bour, and situation of the different towns. Here are 
boats innumerable, to convey you from one part of the town 
to another, with two men to pull you, an awning to cover you 
from rain, and a lantern at night, for which you pay 2d.'' 

" Our ship went straight to the dock-yard ; and the 
men walked on shore after their dinner, and took up their 
quarters in the rope-walk, a piece of matting and a straw 
mattress with a blanket being provided for each man. 
Our quarters are in a battery immediately above the men. 
We are provided with nothing but the bare walls, ceiling, 
and stone floor. As we waited to go on shore, numbers 
of boats pulled off to the ship, laden with provisions, 
oranges, dates, figs, eggs, cigars, &c. Among the rest 
was a diver, who was glad enough to plunge in for a 
penny, and immediately to bring it up. 

" We have established ourselves pretty comfortably, as 
we divided ourselves in small messes of three or four, 
drawing and making our servants cook our rations. I 
am in mess with the Colonel, I * * *, and R * * *. Our 
dinner generally consists of broil and stew, sometimes 
varied by a mutton-chop, and occasionally fish. I assure 
you we eat it with as much gusto as if we were sitting 
down to an array of French side-dishes, and perhaps 
enjoy it really much more. Those who are more parti- 
cular about their food, and don't mind paying for it, go 
to the hotels ; but we prefer the cheap-and-easy system, 
and it is more in keeping mth our present mode of life; 
besides that, it is excellent practice for our servants, 



TOWN AND ISLAND OF MALTA. 261 

before they may have to cook and forage for us in the 
field 

" The appearance of the streets is truly picturesque. 
There are the various costumes — Maltese, Turkish, Alba- 
nian, Egyptian, Arabian, and Nubian; swarms of priests 
and Jesuits, and friars of orders gray; and in contrast 
with all these are the Europeans and red-coated English 
soldiers, who crowd the wine-shops and fill the streets. 

" The barley is now in ear, and the beans full-grown. 
The people feed their cattle with green wheat fodder, and 
get three growths in the year. The fig, palm, date, and 
lotus and cactus, seem the chief trees of the island. The 
cactuses look very singular : whole gardens are filled with 
them. They grow to a height of ten or twelve feet, and 
their thick fleshy leaves measure six or eight inches in 
diameter. The fields are irrigated by small aqueducts, 
the water being brought from the numerous rain-tank>i 
which abound throughout the island. The wild-flowers 
are very pretty, and I hope to preserve some for M * * *. 
The mules and asses are very fine. They tell me that in 
Gozo you can find asses sixteen hands high; and there 
are some very fine ones in Malta. The price of a first- 
rate mule now is from £25 to ^^30. 

" Popery is, as you know, rampant in this place. The 
churches are very numerous : that of the Old Knights of 
St John is a very handsome building. From morning to 
night the bells do not cease to ring; and wretched bells 
they are. They are so superstitious as to ring them all 
if a thunder-storm approaches, to keep ofl" the lightning. 
In all the gates there are pictures or images of the Virgin 
or some patron saints. The other day I saw an image of 



262 rTHE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 

some saint with a gridiron by his side, and with a notice 
underneath, that an indulgence of forty days would be 
given to any person who would repeat an ave and a pater- 
noster before him. Oh, that the people of England could 
see and know what Popery is in its full development as 
here !....! must say farewell. — With best love to you 
all, your affectionate son, M. M. H." 

To his wife : — 

"March 25, 1854 

. . . . " We are to embark on board the Golden Fleece 
on Wednesday, so as to be ready to sail when Sir G. 
Brown arrives. There are no other troops going at pre- 
sent but 200 Sappers. It is believed that our destina- 
tion is Gallipoli, and that we are going with the Sappers 
to prepare the encampment for the army. .... It is 
better for the men to get fairly into the field, where 
they will learn to accommodate themselves to their future 
style of life. At the same time, it is better to have been 
here, both for officers and men, to enable us to make 
more perfect arrangements for landing on a foreign shore, 
and being thrown on our own resources 

" I have been thinking much of you this day, and have 
sjDent some time in earnest prayer for yon. What a pri- 
vilege is prayer at such a time ! We had a delightful 
sermon on prayer this morning from Mr Hare (Eph. 
iii. 1 2) — ' In whom we have boldness and access with con- 
fidence by the faith of him.' He described the feelings 
of Jacob under circumstances very similar to those in 
which we are placed, when he lay down to sleep in a 
foreign country, with new scenes, new trials, and un- 



TRUST IN THE WILL OF GOD. 263 

knowii dangers before him; when he had the vision of 
the ladder, and the angels ascending and descending. 
And as he dwelt upon the blessedness of being permitted 
to hold intercourse with God, imder every circumstance 
in which we can possibly be placed in this world, I felt 
almost overcome with the thought of the tenderness and 
loving-kindness of our God in thus permitting us to cast 
every care upon Him. Yes, though we be separated by 
hundreds of miles, yet our spirits can meet at the same 
throne of grace, and we can enjoy that holy fellowship on 
earth which we shall enjoy fully for ever in heaven. I 
love to think of you specially in the quietness of the 
Sabbath-day. My heart seems with you, and I do not 
try to restrain those tears of deep love which freely fall. 
But I am not sad, for I feel it is good for us both that 
this trial should be laid upon us. How often have we 
sung together — 

' Eenew my will from day to day. 
Blend it with Thine ; and take away 
All that now makes it hard to say, 
Thy will be done ! ' 

And now tiiis prayer is being answered I should 

like to send you the calendar of Psalms according to Bick- 
ersteth, that we may be reading the same, and feeding 

together on the same parts of the bread of life 

"Fancy the excitement of three French transports 
coming into this harbour en route for Gallipoli. General 
Canrobert, and two other generals; 50 staff horses, and 
800 soldiers. We had a review for them of three bat- 
talions Guards, 33d, 93d, and Rifle Brigade." 



26 i THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 

To his wife : — 

** On Board the ' Golden Fleece,* 
" 3Iarch 30. 

. ..." I have deep need of increase of faith. There 
is so much to distract and disturb the soul in tliis bustling, 
exciting life that it needs much watchfulness and disciplhie 
to keep the heart fixed on eternal things. We seem like 
a set of people carried down a current, and nobody has 
time to be quiet, or to thmk a moment. I have brought 
with me the store of tracts which Miss B * * * sent, and 
we are keeping them in reserve against the time when the 
men will be cut off from the usual means of grace. It 
has been a great blessing that the word of life has been so 
faithfully preached to them since they have been here. 
Who can tell but that some of those ' appointed imto 
death' may have received the message of love which will 
give them peace in a dying hour. .... We cannot tell 
what may ba the will of God; but if we are in Christ, come 
life, come death, all must be well. I am sure, dearest, we 
are warranted in praying for temporal deliverance, and 
that we may be permitted to meet again in peace, and we 
may cheer each other by this hope, in the Lord's good 
time 

" Sir J. Burgoyne has just arrived from Turkey. It is 
said that the ground selected for the camp at Gallipoli is 
not supplied with water, and that we shall have to bore 
wells when we get there. You may imagine all the reports 
which are afloat in this place. I never pay the slightest 
attention to them, and generally walk away whenever they 
are discussed." 



ARRIVAL OF FRENCH TROOPS. 2€5 

"Malta, 3farch 28, 1854. 

" My dearest Mother,— .... We know nothing as 
yet, except that we are to go to Gallipoli, probably to 
occupy ourselves with spade and pick-axe, in throwing up 
works which it is said are to be made across that narrow 

neck of land How precious, at such a time, is the 

belief in the special providence of God. This is my com- 
fort in thinking of those from whom I am separated, and 
this, I know, is your comfort in thinking of me. 'He 
doeth all things well' AVe hear that a siege-train of 
eighty heavy guns is preparing at Woolwich. The Sappers 
arrived yesterday; Captain B * * * is to follow with pon- 
toons. All this looks sadly like war. But the Trench 
officers here say that it is 'tine affaire finie.' There have 
been five or six transports in here. We had a grand turn- 
out for General Canrobert, who was particularly pleased 
with the Eifle battalion. Many of the officers and men have 
been on shore, and have been fraternising with our people. 

" March 30. — Yesterday we attempted to embark, but 
the arrangements were so blundered, that all, except one 
company, had to march back again to their barracks for 
the night. They attempted to put all the stores on board 
— a month's provision for 3000 men, camp equipage, 
ammunition, engineering tools, &c., and about 25 horses 
and 1200 men at the same time. 

" General Brown arrived yesterday." 

To his wife: — 

" * Golden Fleece,' .... 
" At Anchor off Cape Servi, April 3, ] 854 
" It is such a comfort and privilege having dear 



^QQ THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 

G * * * on board. His natural character suits me, and 
he is so full of aftection and sympathy. I had a delightful 
talk with him last evening, before going to bed, and I felt 
how blessed is that bond of union which unites us in 
Christ. I have been thinking over the verse in 1st John, 
' No man hath seen God at any time. He that dwelleth in 
love dwelleth in God, and God in him.' Does it not mean 
that as we cannot see God so as to love him, He has 
represented Himself in His people, so that, in loving them, 
we may love Himself. .... 

" I had an interesting walk with young A * * *, of 
the Engineers, on deck this evening. He seems very 
desirous of following the Lord fully, and took, in very 
good part, a word of advice from G * * *, about cards. 
* * * is well disposed, but his indolence, poor fellow, 
is a fearful barrier to his spiritual growth 

" Have you heard anything about the poor women from 
Mr B * * * lately? Poor creatures! I fear they must 
be in a wretched state. Let us help them as much as we 
can, and let us give to some of the societies, if the funds 
will admit. 

" Thursday morning, April 6, 8 A.M., Gallipoli. — 
Arrived safe last night." 



THE CAMP. 267 



CHAPTER XVIIL 

" And now down winding to the plain. 
The barriers of the oarap they gain." 

Scott. 

The transports which had conveyed the first division of 
the British army had now reached their destination, and 
were lying at their moorings, preparatory to disembarking 
their troops upon Turkish territory. Never before had 
English troops formed up upon those shores. The first 
appearance, therefore, of the Rifles and Sappers must have 
roused, to some degree of excitement, the almost immovable 
and phlegmatic Turks. The formation of the strong lines, 
which were to serve as a basis of future operations, had 
already been determined by the engineer officers, who had 
previousl}" surveyed the ground for that purpose. And as 
soon as it was possible, the disembarkation was eff'ected, 
and the troops proceeded to entrench themselves in their 
position. Maxy Hammond's next letter is to his wife: — 

To his wife : — 

"April n. 

. ..." It is time I should tell you something of our 
proceedings. Two days were taken up in reconnoitering 



268 THE CAMP. 

the ground for our camp, so that we did not disembark 
till Saturday, when we marched to our encamping ground, 
about nine miles from Gallipoli, and about two from a 
Turkish village called Bulair. 

" The town of Gallipoli baffles description. It is built 
on the side of a hill, a mass of low built houses with tile 
roofs, and here and there some minarets pointing upwards 
above the houses, from the top of which the priests call 
the faithful to prayer morning and evening. In the centre 
of the town is a fine ruin of an old Byzantine castle, now 
the depository of aU the filth of the town. At the water's 
edge you see something in the shape of ricketty, crazy 
piers, and above the spot a basin, full of the grey masts 
and yards of antiquated and unpainted boats. We are 
entirely dependent on these boats to carry our luggage on 
shore, and fine work we have to make the sluggish Turks 
move. We soon found out that the only Avay was to take 
them by the shoulder and make them work. You would 
laugh to have seen me take possession of a boat, with four 
Sappers, and begin to get the sails up. Unfortunately we 
ran aground before we could get off, which enabled the 
Turks, with frantic gesticulations, to reach us, and get on 
board, and then we forced them to take us on. The nar- 
row streets are paved with large stones that appear to have 
been thrown down a hundred years, and which have 
arranged themselves in all conceivable forms. Here you 
meet a bullock-cart of the rudest description, bumping 
and shaking, first on the top of one of these rocks, and 
then down into the valley beneath. There you see a caval- 
cade of pack horses coming in from the country, escorted 
by horsemen with a long gun slung across the shoulders, 



POSITION OF THE ENCAMPMENT. ^9 

a pair of elaborately ornamented pistols, and a yataghan 
stuck in the girdle. The house windows are latticed to 
conceal the unhappy women, who are rarely seen abroad. 
The houses cannot be said to be built, but stuck together 
anyhow. Everything looks neglected and deserted. Even 
the graveyards are trampled under foot ; and we were 
horrified at seeing the holes where the dogs had been bur- 
rowing out the graves. Of a piece with the people are 
the storks, which sit motionless on the tops of the houses, 
and the tortoises, which abound and typify the crawling 
indolence of the inhabitants. 

"And now for our encampment. We are on the left 
of the position, which is to be fortified by a continuous 
line of field works across the isthmus. The ground is 
undulating, and rising to a height of about 500 feet. 
There is but a poor supply of water ; and that could be 
obtained only with great labour, by digging wells, making 
reservoirs, &c., which will probably be dry all the summer. 
Every stick of wood which we require for cooking has to 
be fetched upon the miserable bullock- waggons. We have 
the utmost difficulty in obtaining supplies, and think our- 
selves fortunate if we can get a few onions and a little rice 
to add to our ration beef. Green coffee is our staple drink. 
It seems to be a country without resources. The people 
themselves are almost starving. How an army is to move 
in this country I cannot imagine. We are told to provide 
ourselves with baggage animals. Captains are allowed 
one animal on which their own luggage, tent, camp kettle, 
&c., are to be carried. Field officers no more. Subalterns 
have one animal and a tent. I have got two ponies, Jack 
and Gill 



270 THE CAMP. 

" Within the last few days the 28th, 44<th, 77th, and 
93d have arrived. The 83d and 41st have gone to Con- 
stantinople. There are also 5000 or 6000 French, in- 
cluding several regiments of Zouaves. These form an 
African corps. They are all Frenchmen, dressed a la mode 
d'Afrique — Fez cap, green turban, en grande tenue, blue 
jacket, open, with socks of red embroidery, waistcoat, 
no stock or neckcloth, coarse Turkish trousers hang- 
ing below the knees, yellow-coloured gaiters on the calf, 
and white shoe gaiters. They are splendid-looking fel- 
lows, and I believe as active and daring as they look. 
They are armed with the tige rifle, and carry their tent.*^ 
on their backs 

" The God of peace be with you." 

To his wife: — 

" Camp near Gallipoli, Sunday, 
April 23, 1854. 

. ..." I never felt more deeply the blessing of a 
Christian Sabbath than in this far land, when we are cut 
off from the means of grace in our own favoured country, 
and are in this dark and benighted part of the globe. 
The Sabbath is especially welcome in camp life — to have 
a day set apart for God, to be able to spend some time in 
quietness, in communing with one s own breast, and seek- 
ing God in prayer. We have had a chaplain here to-day. 
He preached on — ' Prepare to meet thy God : ' good, as 
far as it went. He spoke nicely to the men, at the close, 
of his desire to be of service to them, and his readiness 
to attend them in sickness, or any other time when they 
were in need of the consolations of the gospel 



SOURCE OF SUPPORT IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY. 271 

" This afternoon I gave H * * * a bundle of tracts to 
take round to the tents. I wish we could keep a supply- 
in hand. I should like you to send me out by post a 
dozen copies of the Leisure Hour, and Churchmans 
Fenny Magazine 

'* And now, I commend you to Him who is able to do 
exceeding abundantly above that we can ask or think." 

To his wife :— 

** Camp near Gallipoli, 
May 1, >854. 

"Lord Eaglan arrived on the 28th, and, 

after an interview with General Brown, went the same 
evening to Constantinople. The works here are pro- 
gressing rapidly, and will probably be completed in a few 
weeks 

" One feels lost in trpng to conjecture as to what may 
happen; but there is peace in leaving all in His hands, 
whose wisdom cannot err, and whose love cannot fail. 

What should we do if we had not this hope 

full of immortality, to comfort and sustain our hands at 
such a time as this? I sometimes wonder how those 
people can endure it who have not this source of consola- 
tion. We have just heard of the bombardment and de- 
struction of Odessa. How awful are these beginnings of 
the horrors of war ! How it should make us pray for 
peace; and long for the beginning of the reign of peace 
and righteousness, which shall at length dawn upon our 
sin-smitten world ! . . . . 

" We enjoy our Saturday evenings so much — they are 



272 THE CAJVIP. 

SO refreshing in this place, where one is constrained so 
often to say, ' Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech, and 
dwell in the tents of Kedar/ The language of the men 
is awful; but I am thankful to say that the officers have 
been unanimous in trying to repress it. One has been 
painfully reminded of David's description of the wicked — 
' Their mouths are full of cursing/ Notwithstanding 
this apparent godlessness, it is strange with what avidity 
tracts are received. I wish I had a large supply. I am 
in hopes that some depot will be established at Constanti- 
nople for this purpose. The Bible Society have an agent 
there, and they have determined to issue a copy of the 
New Testament to every soldier and sailor in these parts, 

if possible 

" We are to embark on Saturday for Scutari. The 1st 
Eoyals arrived to-day, and the 38 th are exj^ected in a few 
days. The Melita also arrived with staff-officers, including 
dear J***F***: dear fellow, you may conceive 
the joy it was to us both to meet again. This is another 
of the mercies mingled in our cup. 'He stayeth the 
rough wind in the day of his east wind.' .... God bless 

you.'' 

The profane language of the men, upon which Captain 
Hammond dwells in this last letter, caused him very deep 
pain; and in more than one other letter he refers to the 
same subject. In a letter to his wife, he remarks: "I 
like what you say about contact with sin, and the pain 
which it must cost the holy Jesus to endure this con- 
tradiction of sinners. If I Avas indeed filled with the 
Spirit, the words of sin would pierce and wound my 



ATTEMPT TO CHECK PKOFANE LANGUAGE. 273 

heart more than they do. But I am thankful to say there 
has been a marked difference in the language used by the 
men of my o^vn company." At another time he says: 
''The most painful part of this kind of life is, the being 
obliged to hear the horrible oaths and bad language that 
the men use. This morning I spoke to my company on 
the subject, and I trust there may be some improvement 
outwardly. But, oh ! one's heart sinks at the thought of 
so many souls dead in sins — sold under sin to Satan." 

An officer of the Engineers, speaking of the delight he 
found in Captain Hammond's society at this period, men- 
tions a fact which is illustrative of his boldness in confess- 
ing Christ before men, and of his love and anxiety for 
others. He says, " There is one passage in * * *'s letter 
that I must mention. It is that of having prayers with 
his servant. I am sure he was the first officer in camp in 
Turkey who did so. In May 1854?, I remember well talk- 
ing about it to him; I was so glad, and felt it so good of 
him, amid our excitement, and the excessive work of our 
new lines at Boulair." 

To his wife : — 

"Scutari, May 9, 1854. 

. ..." We left our encampment on Saturday morning 
early, and, for the first time, loaded our mules with 
baggage for the march. About half-way, the whole force 
was reviewed by General Brown, in presence of all the 
French Generals and their staffs. The morning was 
excessively hot, and the men over-weighted. Many poor 
fellows fainted in the ranks. It is very painful to see men 



274? THE CAMP. 

fairly sinking under the heavy loads on their backs, and 
very humiliating to be obliged to confess that the French 
are so superior to us in the equipment of their soldiers. 

" We arrived here on Sunday morning. The view of 
Constantinople, as you get near, is certainly very beautiful ; 
and the tents of our array on the Scutari side add much 
to the picturesque effect. The town is built on a slope, 
and the Golden Horn divides Stamboul from the French 
districts. On the opposite side of the water stands Scutari. 
Stamboul is very striking, with its many domes, and 
minarets, and cypresses ; and the Sultan's seraglio, occupy- 
ing a large space of ground at the corner next to the 
Golden Horn 

" The ground which the army occupies here is rather 
pretty. The camps are close to the water's edge, in a 
grassy slope, backed by a splendid grove of cypress, which 

shades the tombs of the departed who lie beneath 

The barracks and the hospital are magnificent buildings as 
to space. It is said the barracks will hold 10,000 men; 
but they have managed so to fill it with the staff that at 
present there are only four regiments in it 

" I had a visit yesterday from Mr T * * *, the Free 
Church missionary to the Jews in Constantinople. He 
appears to be 'a very nice and good man. There are 
80,000 Spanish Jews in Constantinople. They were 
expelled from Spain by Philip III. at the end of the 
sixteenth century. I believe they speak a compound of 
Arabic and Spanish; but they cannot read the Eoman 
chaiacter, so the books are in the Spanish language, with 
the Hebrew character. Little more has been done among 
them than the establishment of schools, and the awakening 



KELIGIOUS TOLERATION. 275 

a spirit of inquiry. Mr T * * * told us that the 
American missionaries are doing a great deal of good 
among the Armenians. There are very many Protestant 
congregations of them scattered throughout Turkey, both 
in Europe and Asia. There is perfect toleration here given 
to all religions, and the Bible may be freely circulated to all 
but the Mahometans. With them the spirit of persecu- 
tion is still as strong as ever. Mr T * * * told us that a 
Mahometan was put to death at Adrianople about three 
months ao^o for becominoj a Christian. I trust that France 
and ourselves will insist on religious liberty to all, before 
we leave this country." 

To his wife: — 

" Scutari, May 22, 1854. 

.... "Never before have I felt so much need of 
putting on the armour of God; and it seems sometimes as 
if this is the place where Satan's seat is ; and my soul 
longs for the perfect purity above, where there will be no 
sights and sounds of sin, and where we shall no longer be 
made wretched by the corruption within, which, after all, 
is our worst enemy 

"Amidst so much that is trying from within and 
without, I have found that the good Shepherd who is 
leading us along these rugged paths can give songs in the 
wilderness, and that He does provide rills of comfort and 
refreshment such as the world knows not of. Such a 
stream of mercy was the communion which was adminis- 
tered yesterday in one of the passages of the barracks. I 
felt it to be a peculiarly solemn and affecting season. The 
circumstances under wliich we were met together in this 



276 THE CAMP. 

foreign and heathen land, where we have been assembled 
for the purpose of war, produced a feeling in my mind 
such as I never before remember. The love of Christ did 
appear to be inexpressibly precious, and His words of love 
in John vi. melted me to tears. I think the thoughts of 
His love filled my heart above everything else. In the 
afternoon I went with F ♦ * * and J * * * to the ser- 
vice of the Embassy. The chaplain is a truly good and 
very superior man. He preached on Psalm xxiii. 4 — ' The 
shadow of death,' a beautiful sermon. I was particularly 
struck with his searching address to believers on the fear 
of evil, the cause of which was to be found in our practical 
unbelief. He bade us look to the state of our spiritual 
affections, and to find out the source of this root of bitter- 
ness. The realised presence of the Lord can alone cast 
out this fear. 

" And now, good night. May the angel of God's pre- 
sence watch over thee and preserve thee from evil by 
night and by day ! . . . 

" May 23. — I believe it is pretty certain now tliat the 
Light Division is to move to Varna on Saturday; and the 
remainder of the army Avill follow as soon as possible. 
The report is that Silistria is invested by 70,000 Russians, 
and cannot hold out ; so that, perhaps, we shall be pushed 
on to relieve the f)lace, if it has not already fallen, in con- 
cert with the French and Turks. These things, uncertain 
as they are, make one feel that the reahties of war may be 
near at hand. But, dearest, this is one of the numbered 
waves, that we trust are wafting us to the haven of rest 
where we would be. May we both have grace to take 
hold of the words which were addressed to Joshua, and 



IS MOVED TO VARNA. 277 

which seem so peculiarly aiDplicable to us now (Josh. i. 
7-9). There is a connexion here between obedience and 
safety. If we, too, are living by faith in Jesus, the pro- 
mise will assuredly be fulfilled to us both (ver. 9), ' for 
the Lord thy God is v/ith thee, whithersoever thou goest.' 

" I should like much to be able to adopt your sugges- 
tion, of securing a clear half-hour, the first thing in the 
morning, for prayer. I shall try to do so. But with our 
early parades, at half -past six, it is rather hard work getting 
up in time ; but I shall make an effort, for I feel with you 
that there never was a time when I needed so much to 
seek strength by prayer. 

"10 P.M. — The order has come out for the Light Division 
to embark on Friday the 26th for Varna. So, by the time 
this reaches you, I shall probably be in our new encamj)- 
ment somewhere between Varna and Shumla. Farewell," 

To his wife : — 

" CA3IP AT Vaena, June 1, 1854. 

. . . . " We are encamped just outside the town till the 
disembarkation of the horses and troops has taken place ; 
and we are then to march to Devna, at the head of the 
lake, and await the arrival of the other divisions. The 
regiments composing the Light Division, the 7th, 29th, 
23d, 33d, 77th, 88th, Rifle Brigade, and 8th Hussars, and 
a troop of Horse Artillery, are here. The others will fol- 
low as soon as possible. 

" Camp eight miles west of Varna, on the road to 
Sliumla, June 7. — I wish you could see our present 
camp, it is so pretty, situated in the lake district, sur- 
rounded by lovely hills, ofF-shoots from the Balkan. It is 



278 THE CAMP. 

a shame that such a lovely country should lie waste ; and 
I must own I hope it will pass into other hands, for the 
Turks have had it too long, and it is time that the ground 
should be cultivated and the people civilised and Chris- 
tianised. The whole division is encamped on this spot 
except the Hussars and the 17th Lancers, who have gone on 
to Devna, seven miles further. We have fairly commenced 
the routine of an army in the field, and have an outlying 
plcquet to cover the camp by day and night. I was 
sent with half my company, for the first time since I have 
been a soldier, on this duty the day that we marched in. 
This is more for practice than necessity, as there are no 
Russians within fifty miies of us. . . . 

" I dined with A * * * on Sunday, the night before 
we left Varna, and met * * *. I don't think I ever came 
across a more earnest and zealous Christian, or a more 
fearless one. * Out of the abundance of his heart his mouth 
spoke' the whole evening, and he urged upon us to read and 
pray together before parting. I envied his holy boldness 
and single-hearted zeal for God and the salvation of souls ; 
and I felt deeply humbled by such an example. It is diffi- 
cult to know what to do, but the chief difficulty lies in the 
coldness of my heart and want of love towards my Saviour. 
Some would say that * * * is incautious. But I am 
convinced that such a witness for Christ must be blessed, 
wherever he goes. .... The God of peace be with you.'' 

To his wife: — 

" Camp, eight miles feom Vaena, 
June 9, 1854 
.... "We are to move our camp to-morrow. The 



SUNDAY IN CAMP. 270 

order in which we move is as follows : 1 , A squadron of 
Hussars ; 2, Advanced guard of Rifles (two companies) ; 3, 
Horse Artillery; 4, Battalion of Rifles ; 5, Regiment of Line ; 
6, Baggage animals ; 7, Slaughter animals ; 8, Rear-guard 
of one company. 

"Sunday, Wth. — What a curious Sunday this has been 
to me ! I am writing on out-lying picquet, in a little hut 
made of boughs, with my waterproof sheet spread over 
the roof. We go on picquet at half -past two A.M. ! and 
are relieved at that hour ; so you may imagine I was very 
sleepy this morning, and did not feel at all in a Sabbath 
spirit. .... 

" I love to read the Church Service, and to join in spirit 
with all Christ's people, who are using these beautiful 
forms of prayer, on this holy day. Soon, dearest, we 
shall join the Church above, having 'washed our robes, 
and made them white, in the blood of the Lamb.' I 
foimd much comfort to-day in the Psalms, especially the 
60th; it seemed so applicable to present circumstances: 
driven out to this horrid war on account of national and 
individual sins. The heavy hand of God laid upon me, 
not altogether in judgment, but in love ; for are we not 
told to look upon chastisements as a token of His 
love? .... 

" Saturday night, June 17th. — I have just got back to 
my tent, after our Saturday evening reading with * * *, 
* * * , * * *. How singular that we should be per- 
mitted still to meet together in this changing world, as 
we used to do in dearest N * * *'s drawing-room, at 
Halifax, nearly ten years ago. Do you think the saints 
in heaven know at all what is taking place on earth? If 



280 THE CAMP. 

they do, how must she rejoice in seeing the same little 
party still feeding together among the gi'een pastures and 
still waters of the blessed Word. It is such a comfort 
to refresh and animate each other's hearts, by spiritual 
communion, in this time of bustle and unrest. We were 
saying, to-night, what peculiar sweetness, what considera- 
tion for the darkness of our hearts, there is in the 
admonition, ' not forsaking the assembling of yourselves 
together.' .... 

" There are rumours of a forward move to Silistria. I 
believe few people have any idea of the difficulties of 
moving an army in such a country. You may have some 
idea of this from the single fact, that it is said that it will 
require 12,000 horses to carry up the food and necessary 
stores for the troops on the march to Silistria. All 
supplies must be brought up from the rear.'' .... 

To his wife: — 

" Camp Aladyn, Outlying Picquet, 
June 20th. 

" You see we have not moved yet I had such a 

nice dream last night, about seeing you and our sweet 
little Nina. I thought she was grown so enormously, 
and had come on so in mind and manners, and looked 
most lovely. I like such dreams of home; though my 
heart aches when I remember that I am in this strange 
and far-off land. I am, at times, very very sad; and the 
bitterness of separation is, if possible, more keenly felt 
than ever. Is it not hard to our poor weak natures to 
learn the lesson that God has been teaching us, to 
cease from seeking repose here on earth. My heart 



MILITAEY SUKVEYIKG. 281 

does cling to home, and the hope of meeting those I 
love dearest on earth again. Do you think this is 
wrong? I hope not; for this sustains and keeps me up 
when I might almost sink, 'because of the way/ If 
we are, indeed, setting our affections on things above, 
I don't tliink we need fear letting our earthly affections 
have their full and natural sway 

" Various reports and rumours are afloat ; some say the 
Kussians, disheartened by frequent repulses, have retired 
from Silistria; and I believe it is a fact, that Omar Pacha 
has thrown 12,000 additional troops into the place. My 
impression is, that if transport, sufficient for ourselves 
and the French, can be procured, we shall move forward; 
and, as a soldier, I think we ought to do so 

" I have been amusing and instructing myself by sur- 
veying the ground around the camp, and have finished my 
sketch to-day. I like the work, and it may be useful. . . 
The wild flowers are lovely; most of them are in our gar- 
dens at home. There are beautiful insects, too, which I 
delight in, and long to preserve; but this is impos- 
sible. . . , Farewell. 

" June 28th. — By the time this reaches you, you will 
have heard of the retreat of the Russians from Silistria. 
.... We march to Devna to-morrow for certain."' 

To his wife : — 

" Camp, Devna, July 3, 
Sunday. 
" I have wandered to the top of the high range of hills 
in roar of our camp, that I migbt find a solitary place, 



282 THE CAMP. 

far from the haunts of men, where I might seek alone the 
presence and blessing of my heavenly Father, in lifting up 
my heart to Him, and spreading my wants and cares 
before Him. And here, too, have I in spirit held com- 
munion with my wife, at our common mercy seat. I am 
most thankful that you have been enabled to cast all your 
cares on Him. Let us both pray for faith for each day as 
it comes ; and let us not attempt to look beyond, into the 
unknown future. To-day is om's; to-morrow is the 
Lord's ; and we may safely leave it to Him to dispose of 
it as He sees best. With me, the uncertainty is so great 
as to what is going to take place, that I am, of necessity, 
driven to leave all in His hands. 

''July 10th. — The communion was celebrated yester- 
day morning, in the open air, under a burning smi. 
I felt the heat so much, that it deprived me of the power 
of fixing my mind; and I did not, therefore, find that 
enjoyment in the ordinance that I did the last time at 
Scutari; though the occasion, yesterday, was equally 
solenm; and it was deeply interesting to see so many 

humbly kneeling before the cross of Jesus I was 

thinking yesterday, of the duty of Christian love, as ex- 
pressed in those words of our Lord (John xv. 12) — ' This is 
my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved 
you.' This, no doubt, refers, in the first place, to the love 
of the brethren. But does it not extend to the love of our 
fellow-men generally, for Christ's sake? I feel that I 
have come far short of this exercise of love. It is one 
of the peculiar temptations of canip life, where there is 
so much gossip and evil speaking, and so much laughing 
at other people. I know that you will piiiv that I may 



EUMOUKS OF EXPEDITION TO THE CEIMEA. 283 

overcome this besetting sin, and possess more of the mind 
of Christ. That is no unmeaning term used to describe 
His character — ' harmless.' .... The hospital tent is a 
sad place for a dying man. One feels how almost hope- 
less it is for any one to begin to seek Christ there." 

To his wife : — 

« Camp, Devna, July 20. 

.... "We shall all be glad to get away from this 
place. The ground is low and marshy, and it cannot be 
healthy ; not that there is any serious sickness among the 
troops, but there have been a good many cases of remit- 
tent fever. .... Various rumours are afloat as to our 
future movements, and a council of war has been called 
at Varna. The transports are assembling at Varna, and 
the fleet is to be there on the 29th. Some say they are 
to take us to the Crimea, and others, to Anapa in Cir- 

cassia I cannot think we are in a position to make 

an attack on Sebastopol at present; and I must confess I 

do not feel eager for such a hazardous attempt 

We are likely to move a few miles on Monday, for change 
of air. General Brown is on a cruise in the Black Sea ; 
but no one knows where he is gone, or what is contem- 
plated. The more I think of Sebastopol, the more con- 
vinced I feel that we cannot attempt any attack upon it 
tliis year : we have neither the men nor the material. 
Tliis life is becoming very weary; there is not even any 
excitement to keep one up. Sometimes I long to beat 
my sword into a pruning-hook, it is so uncongenial to all 
my tastes and feelings. But I must not allow myself to 
indulge in such feelings. It ought to be enough to know 



284j the camp. 

that I am following in the path of duty, leaving my wife 
and child behind me; and I know there is no position 
in which I may not glorify God 

" 10.30 P.M. — Just come back from A * * *'s tent: 
these occasions are very refreshing to one's spirit. We 
were reading 1 Thess. iii. St Paul's prayer that the Lord 
would dii'ect his way to them, is an encouragement to us, 
I think, in asking that we may be permitted to meet again 
in peace by the will of God. 

" What a rest -will be that above, when we shall serve 
and praise our Kedeemer, without weary bodies to drag 
down our souls, and without the still heavier clog of sin 
to prevent our hearts ascending to God ! * His servants 
shall serve him, and they shall see his face.' " 

" Ca^ip at Devna, July 8, 1854. 
" My veey dear Feiend, — .... What a comfort it 
is, in such troublous times as these, amid "wars and ru- 
mours of wars, to turn to the promises of the gospel ; and 
to feel that, when these things come to pass, v/c may lift 
up our hands, and recognise, above the storm of human 
commotions, and the intrigues of politicians and states- 
men, the hand that is directing and overruling all ! And 
we know that it is the same Hand that was once pierced 
for us, and which was once stretched over the troubled 
sea, 'and there was a great calm.' God grant that out of 
all these things showers of blessings may come down, and 
the gospel be promoted in the East ! " 

" Camp,.Monastie, July 28, 1854. 
" My dearest Father, — .... I have told R * ♦ « — 



CHOLERA BREAKS OUT. 285 

and you will probably see in the papers — that the cholera 
has broken out amon^ the troops within the last live days, 
and there have been between forty and fifty deaths in the 
division. We immediately removed our camp from Devna 
to this beautiful and airy spot. Our regiment has hitherto 

escaped, most mercifully, with only two deaths 

The 7th, 23d, and 88th, have been the chief sufferers. 
The situation of our camp at Devna was decidedly un- 
healthy, being close to an extensive marsh at the head of 
the lake. We are now encamped in a Turkish village a 
short distance from Pravady. There is generally a de- 
lightful breeze coming from the sea. The weather has 
been hot — ^generally between 80° and 90° in the shade; 
but we have all built bowers in front of our tents. 
The ride from here to Pravady is across a large plain, 
on which are several tumuli, where the Eussians are said 
to have buried six thousand, who died of the plague in 
1828." .... 

"Camp, Monastir, August 8, 1854. 
" My dearest Mother,— .... I am afraid you will 
be made anxious by accounts of the sickness amongst us. 
In some regiments it is abating, in others there are still 
some fatal cases. We have been mercifully dealt with, 
and have not lost so many as^^ther regiments. Our poor 
old paymaster, N * * *, diedlast Friday, after four days' 
illness. He was a good man, and died, I believe, in 
liumble dependence on the merits of his Redeemer. ^My 
patience is getting very much tried, being kept month 
after month in this stationary camp. We are now a little 
revived by rumours of an expedition somewhere in the 



286 THE CAMP. 

Black Sea. The general opinion is that it is to be Sebas- 
topol, and that we are to attempt it by a coup-de-mam. 
Of course, our generals must have well weighed the pro- 
babilities of success, and the disastrous consequences of 
failure, before they decided on risking such an attempt. 
Strange as it is to say, though I hate war, and have no 
desire to see bullets fly, I shall be glad if the path of duty 
leads me to more active operations. This stand-still, do- 
nothing existence is most trying, especially now that sick- 
ness is in our camp. It is a time for setting our house in 
order; but blessed be God there is strong consolation, if, 
as guilty sinners, we can rest upon the finished work of 
the Lord Jesus, and embrace the gracious invitation, 
' Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest.' .... 

" Soon they must consider the question of winter quar- 
ters for our army; and I have a dim and shadowy vision 
of getting two months' leave and seeing home. But there 
have been too many lessons, lately, of the uncertainty of 
all human events, to set my heart on such an air-castle. 
How quieting to the mind is that little clause, which 
ought to precede all our plans for the future, 'If the 
Lord will' we will do this or that ! — ^Your affectionate 

"Max.'' 

To his wife : — 

" Camp, Mon astir, Jul^/ 26. 

. ..." I am sorry to say cholera has appeared among 
us within the last few days. There is a quantity of unripe 
fruit al)out, plums and apricots ; and the men ^v^ll eat it, 
notwithstanding a positive prohibition, and their being 



GENERAL BEOWN RECONXOITRES IN THE BLACK SEA. 287 

punished if caught. The division was moved in consequence. 
This is such a beautiful healthy-looking i3lace that I trust 
the awful disease may abate. But after all, though we 
may talk about second causes, it is the finger of God that 
is upon us, justly punishing us for our sins. The wonder 
is, not that He should punish us for our offences, but that 
we are not utterly consumed. What comfort there is in 
what David said, when he chose the judgment of pestilence 
in preference to famine or the sword of the enemy — ' Let 
us now fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are 
great' The saddest part of all is to think of the unprepared- 
ness of those poor souls to meet their God, when they are 
suddenly cut ^ovm in a moment. And yet you hear the 

same words of cm'sing and ungodliness as ever 

" General Brown has returned from his cruise in the 
Black Sea. The fleet went to Sebastopol with an equal 
number of ships to the Eussian fleet ; and they threw 
down the gauntlet to them, but they could not be induced 
to come out. The Furious, in which Brown was, went 
rather close to the batteries and fired a shot in defiance ; 
which was instantly returned by eight shots from the enemy, 
three of which fell on board the Furious, without, how- 
ever, doing any other damage than playing havoc among 
the bottles in the midshipmen's mess-room. 

To his wife : — 

"Camp, Mon astir, August 5. 

" Trial is the furnace in which the dross must be purged 
away, and the soul made to reflect more clearly the image 
of Jesus. Let us, then, wait patiently and constantly upon 
the Lord, as PauL did, when he besought Him that the 



288 THE CAMP. 

thorn might be removed. May we, too, be satisfied with 
the same answer — 'My grace is sufficient for thee,' and may 
it be given to us gladly to suffer infirmities, that the power 
of Christ may rest upon us. May we be enabled more 
fully to enter into 1 Pet. L 8. 

" To-morrow is the Sabbath. I shall try, by God's grace, 
to make these things special subjects of prayer for us both." 

To his wile : — 

"MoNASTiR, August 10, 1854<. 

. , . " I am afraid you and the St Alban's people will have 
thought my letters very tinste. But it is not easy to keep 
up a cheerful countenance when there is sadness within ; 
and I must own to have felt very sad and unhappy for a 
few days, with so much sickness amongst us, and a gloom, 
in consequence, over the whole camp. But we have been 
most mercifully dealt with. I have felt more peace lately. 

... At times I have been brought very low ; but the 
Lord has graciously lifted me up again, and I have been 
enabled to hope in His mercy, and to feel that in the most 
trying dispensations He is doing all well. Would that I 
could indeed long more earnestly for that glory which is 
to be revealed. Yet, notwithstanding the many lessons I 
have had, of the uncertainty of human things, and the 
folly of setting the heart upon them, I find myself still 
cleaving to earth, nor can I say I have a desire to depart 
and be with Christ ; my prayer rather is. Lord spare me 
to see, once more, those dearest to me on earth, and if 
not, help me to acquiesce in thy holy will. How much 
more blessed is the hope of the coming of Christ. For 
then we shall all be gathered unto Him — then ' we which 



TRIALS OF FAITH. 2cS9 

are alive shall be caught up together to meet the Lord in 
the air, and so shall we be ever with the Lord/ I suppose 
that if the heart were filled with the love of Jesus, as Paul's 
was, even death would seem desirable, for the joy of being 
with Him. ' Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and 
peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through 
the power of the Holy Ghost.' 

" My faith has been sorely tried of late, and there have 
been times when I could not cast myself upon God, or 
trust the keeping of my soul and body to Him— when 
the enemy seemed saying to me, ' Where is now thy God?' 
(What a precious soul-comforting psalm is that forty- 
second!) The thought of home made me fear death; but 
now, through the mercy of the Lord, the cloud has passed 
away, and I hope I can trust in the love and wisdom and 
faithfulness of my Saviour God.'' 

From the foregoing letters, we may infer how intense 
was the trial which Captain Hammond was called upon to 
undergo during this period of sickness and inaction in 
camp. There can be no doubt, more especially from his 
own statements afterwards, that the bitterness of separa- 
tion from his wife and child was, to the highest degree, 
increased by the fear of death. Not in the sense applicable 
to those who fear because they have no hope — no other 
prospect than " a certain fenrful looking for of judgment." 
His was a hope, blessed be God, sure and steadfast. But 
there was a deep longing for life — a burning thirst for a 
return, that, if it wore possible, he might once more see 
liis wife, his child, and the home that he loved. He looked 
for a prolongation of life, in order that this reluctance to 

T 



290 THE CAMP. 

acquiesce so completely in God's will, as to desire, notwith- 
standing, that he might depart and be with Christ, might 
be entirely overcome; that he might, from his heart and 
without reservation, say, '0 death, where is thy sting?' 
That this prayer was abundantly answered, the sequel will 
shew. His wife, to whom these letters were addressed, 
has added, at the close of one of them, this note : — 

"When he came home in October 1854, he alluded to 
this time as one of much inward conflict — much more 
than he had expressed in his letters. His desires after 
home were painfully strong; and it was a source of deep 
humility to him, that for many days he could not bring 
his will into subjection to God's will. He could not feel 
willing to be taken away then, without seeing those he 
loved once more. He used, at this season, frequently to 
rise and pray in the middle of the night — pray, not for 
life, but for entire submission. He several times alluded 
to it as the time of severest conflict of soul that he had ever 
passed through." 

To his wife : — 

" Camp, Monastie, August 25. 

" We are rather in a bustle to-day, in expectation of a 
march to-morrow. They talk of our marching in two 
days, and carrying the whole of the men's knapsacks in 
waggons. The few sick are to go also. I have good 
reason to hope that cholera is disappearing. .... What 
is the object of our march to Varna? I cannot tell you. 
It is said the generals are determined on Sebastopol. If 
it is so, you v>'ill join us in the prayer — ' God speed us.' 



A SPECIAL PKOVIDEXCE. 291 

May the same all-sufficient Saviour, vAio has sustained you 
in peace in many a dark and trying hour, enable you now 
to glorify Him by trusting in His unclianging love. I 
send you Isa. xli. 14^, compared with 2 Cor. xii. 9 — 'the 
worm' and the 'weakness.' .... We are borne out by 
Scripture, I think, in believing that a special providence 
watches over believers, else what is the meaning of Ps. 
xci.; Ps. cxxi.; Matt. x. 29, 30; 1 Tim. iv. 10. And hoia 
do the angels minister to the heirs of salvation, if not in 
temporal deliverances, or other little mercies? It was the 
'angel of God' who stood before Paul before the ship- 
wreck, promising that God would save them (Acts xxvii. 
23, 2rt). And is it not reasonable to suppose tliat the 
angel directed the course of the tempest- tossed ship, and 
brought about all the circumstances which led to the safe 
landing of them all? So comfort yourself with the word 
of the Lord, if your heart is filled with anxiety and appre- 
hension about coming events ; and forget not that He, who 
in mercy hath delivered your husband from the pestilence, 
can equally deliver him from the sword. 

"It is believed that we shall embark on Thursday, so 
all doubt is now at an end about the grand expedition. 
'I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.' The 
details are not fully known, but it is said that we shall 
embark some 60,000 or 70,000 men, including 10,000 
Turks ; effect a landing about five miles from Sebastopol ; 
besiege Port Constantine, which commands the town and 
batteries, and which, if taken, would put us in possession 
of the place 

" It was a great comfort to be left in ciuietness on this 
holy day. The communion wms ecleln'ated. It was a 



292 THE CAMP. 

hallowed season and my soul enjoyed some of the sweet- 
ness of that fellowship with the Father and with His Son 
Jesus Christ which He so delights to impart. To Him I 
commend you." 

" Varna Harbour, 
" On Board the ' Pride op the Ocean/ 
"August 29, 1854. 

" Scarcely had the letters left the camp, the day before 
yesterday, when an order arrived for the Rifle Brigade to 
move into Varna, and to embark next day. It is difficult to 
realise this, after all the doubts one has had on the subject. 
Varna is in a state of the most extraordinary confusion. 
Everywhere you see the material of war. The shore is 
strewed with gabions, fascines, rafts, carts in pieces, &c. 
&c. The large bay is filled with shipping, men-of-war, 
and transports. The Guards and Highlanders embarked 
yesterday, and the Artillery are all at Baltshik. More 
troops are going on board to-day 

"I pray that you may be kept from sinking. Where 
the path of duty is so plainly marked out, we must do all 
we can not to give way. I was reading, this moniing, 
Ps. Ivii. The first verse came with special comfort to my 
heart — * Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my 
refuge, until these calamities be overpast.' " 



THE HOSPITAL. 293 



CHAPTER XIX. 

e Jospital 

" Fountain of life and living breath. 

Whose mercies cannot fail nor fade, 
Fill me with life that hath uo death; 

Fill me with light that hath no shade; 
Appoint the remnant of my days. 
To see Thy power, and sing Thy praise." 

In the first days of September 1854, took place that extra- 
ordinary scene in Baltshik Bay, the rendezvous of the allied 
armies. Swarming like midges upon the quiet surface of 
the Euxine, the transports poured in, and took up their 
positions; and above them all towered the mighty forms 
of the ships of war, bearing the flags of France and Eng- 
land. Suspense was at an end; and the troops, full of 
hope and excitement, were at last on the very eve of 
a mighty enterprise. But, while the fresh sea breeze 
brought health, and while excitement raised the spirits of 
the army, Captain Hammond fell ill. A fever, caught 
from the stagnant marshes of Devna, had stricken him 
down, at the very moment when health was most needed ; 
and, by the time the expedition had reached Eupatoria, 
he was prostrated with a dangerous illness. He writes 
from on board the Pride of tJie Ocean, 2d September:— 



294? THE HOSPITAL. 

" We have not yet left Varna Bay. I have not been 
quite well ; but I think, however, that I am a little better 
to-day ; and I trust that, by J * * * F * * *'s quinine 
and the sea air, I may be set up before the work begins. I 
began to feel unwell on the line of march, and since then 
have continued very weak. At this particular time, any- 
thing in the shape of illness is more than usually trying, 
when one wishes to be in full possession of all his bodily 
powers. But it is part of the discipline my heavenly Father 
sees fit to lay upon me ; and I have been enabled to submit 
myself to His will, without doubting His wisdom or love." 

To his father he ^vrites on September 3d; and at the 
close of the letter, in a tremulous hand, says : — 

" I shall send this note, shaky though it is. The fact is, 
I have been far from well for some days, with slight 
remittent fever, and am very weak. I hope, however, to 
be set up by the time the work begins. The Lord teacfi 
us all to trust in Him at this anxious time." 

When the troops reached their destination, and their 
disembarkation took place. Captain Hammond's accom- 
panying them was impossible. He afterwards described 
his bodily sufferings as very great; but, he said, they were 
nothing to the intense anguish of mind he felt at being 
unable to accompany his men, when the hour for action 
had come. When visiting a friend, after his return to 
England in January 1855, he was congratulated on his 
having been prevented by fever from landing with his 
men; when he replied, with an earnestness never for- 
gotten by the hearer, " Oh ! don't say that You don't 



FALLS ILL WITH FEVER. 295 

know what it luas to me not to be able to go witli my ]nen." 
As his mind was wandering, under the effects of fever, he 
was not aware of his own weakness, and more than once 
insisted upon trying to dress, and to make preparations for 
the landing with the troops; and he was with difficulty 
prevailed upon to remain quiet in his berth. He was 
ordered to remain on board; and the next mail brought 
the following letter from the colonel of the battalion: — 

" My dear Mr Hammond, — Maxy's last letter will have 
told you that he had not been feeling well. A fortnight 
ago, he was obliged to put himself into Dr F * * *'s 
hands. We have discouraged him from making the least 
effort ; and it is necessary to keep him as quiet as pos- 
sible; and, as he may not write for himself, I have 

thought it best to send a few lines It is, indeed, 

a source of additional regret, that we are to lose the ser- 
vices of so good a soldier, when we are about to undertake 
so important an enterprise; and dear Maxy feels it as 
much as we do. But his landing is out of the question. 
.... Fortunately F * * * accompanied me ; which gave 
Maxy not only a tender friend, but a skilful physician.'' 

As soon as the army had disembarked, Captain Ham-» 
mond was sent down to Scutari, on board the Kangaroo, 
with a large number of sick. During that voyage, the 
wretched condition of the unhappy men, who were 
crowded to suffocation, and most insufficiently provided 
with medical aid and necessaries of the most ordinary 
kind, excited his sympathy and indignation; and, when 
sufficiently recovered, he thought it his duty to make an 
official representation on the subject. .. 



29 G THE HOSPITAL. 

His next letter, in a hand scarcely legible, is dated 
Scutari, September 19th: — 

" Don't be frightened at my ' infantine' style of writing. 
This is my first attempt since my illness. The Lord has 
been very gracious to me and to you in having raised me 
up again. ' Bless the Lord, my soul ; and all that is 
within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, my 
soul, and forget not all his benefits.' I pray that the life 
which He has spared may be more devoted to Him hence- 
forth. I went with the expedition to the Crimea, and 
stayed there until the troops landed, when the whole of the 
sick got an order to go to Constantinople. I am so much 
better, and gaining strength every day — Lady E * * * 
has been so kind to me. Oh, how I longed to have you 
near me in my illness I but the Lord was my stay, and 

the everlasting arms underneath How wonderful 

the providence of God, that this illness should have been 
sent to save me from the dangers of Sebastopol! He 
answers prayer in a way we looked not for." 

To his mother he says: — 

" Scutari, September 23, 1854. 
"My dearest Mother, — I am just recovering from 
the fever, which commenced on the line of march about 
1st September, and which I carried with me on board 
ship. It all seems like a dream ; but this I know, that 
the Lord has mercifully raised me up again, and spared 
my life. Blessed be His holy name ! I am sure I have 
been very ill; but, though I was not delirious, I have 



SCUTARI HOSPITAL. 297 

hardly any recollection of anything, except that I felt peace 
in the love of my Saviour; and, though I could not lift 
up my heart to Him, I felt that all was well, and that 

underneath were the everlasting arms I have no 

fever now, but am very weak both in mind and body, as 
you will see by my writing. I wish they would send me 
liome. L * * * K * * * is here sick of fever. There 
are a great number of sick officers and men. — Your most 
affectionate Max." 

The sad scenes in the hospital at Scutari, the mis- 
management of that miserable winter of 1854-55, are no 
new tale. Still it is scarcely possible, in these extracts 
from the letters of one who was himself a sufferer there, 
to omit all reference to the deplorable neglect which 
existed : — 

" Scutari, September 28. 

" I am certainly getting stronger, but I feel 

great difficulty in writing; and in the afternoon my feet 
get numbed, as if they had been crushed under a roller. 
What they mean to do with us, I don't know. There are 
hardly any medical officers to attend us. I have not seen 
a doctor for three days. The hospital and barracks are 
filled with sick and wounded men. Fancy 90 officers, 
and about 1900 men, killed and wounded in the engage- 
ment. The poor fellows are sadly neglected. A man of 
my company, with a grape-shot through his calf, has been 
eight days in hospital, and no doctor has been near him 
to dress his wound. It is a sad sight to see the poor 
fellows lying there. The passages, as well as the wards, 
are all filled. Oh, the scourge of war! Lord, send us 



238 THE HO^riTAL. 

peace, in thy great mercy. I have some hopes of being 
sent home, but the doctors seem too busy to attend to 
anything 

" I have been enabled to speak a word to several of 
the sick officers, and I find that their hearts are much 
softened, and ready to hear. Pray for me, that I may not 
be ashamed to confess my dear Lord and Saviour, who 
loved me. and gave Himself for me. I hope I can truly 
say He is precious to me. In my weakness, I have felt 
Him near me, though I could not pray, or raise my 
thoughts above. 

'^ September 29. — I have seen my doctor, who says that 
he shall recommend me to appear before a medical board, 
for the purpose of being sent home. There may be, and 
possibly will be, great delay, or I may be disappointed 
altogether; so don't set your heart on seeing me, but 
be content patiently to wait on the Lord, who will order 
my steps aright whether I go or remain. I dare not 
let myself think of meeting; such joy seems too great 
to be fulfilled. My feet are very weak. I lose all sensa- 
tion in them about the middle of the day, and they ache 
most acutely. 

" W * * * is here with a wound in the leg ; the ball 
entered the knee, and came out about half-way up the 
underside of the thigh. Providentially, no bone is touched, 
and he is doing very well. Tell C * # ♦ this. War is 
a horrible reality. .... Words cannot express how I 

long to see you and our sweet little Nina There 

are almost 2500 sick and wounded in the hospital and 
barracks, and not more than 20 doctors to attend them. 
Farewell. 



LETTER TO HIS WIPE. 299 

To his wife : — 

" Baeracks, Scutari, October 2. 

"Since I last wrote, another sick officer has 

arrived. It has been quite a providential thing his being 
sent here, for I found out the first evening that he was 
under deep concern about his soul, the Lord having 
touched his heart during his illness. I have had many 
deeply interesting conversations with him, and he seems 
most eager to receive the truth, and to give his heart to 
God. He is, as might be expected, very ignorant of the 
gospel scheme. I have read with him, and he listens 
eagerly to the Word of God. He has had cholera, which 
has reduced him very low. Yesterday (Sunday) the 
chaplain came to us a little before ten, and gave us a 
faithful exhortation to repentance — the difference between 
the repentance of fear, and the repentance of love 

" I had a visit to-day from Mr T * * *, the Free Kirk 
missionary to the Jews here. He read the first part of 
Eom. V. to us, and commented very beautifully and clearly 
upon it, and prayed with us 

" The doctors say I am to go before a board to-morrow. 
If so, I may perhaps get home by the packet of the 10th. 
But we must not build our hopes on such a joyful pro- 
spect, nor be unprepared for disappointment 

" October 3. — The Board has examined me, and pro- 
nounce me to be a fit case to go home ! God grant that 
we may meet in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel 
of Christ, with the one supreme desire that we may glorify 

God, and live more wholly to Him My companion 

improves in health, I think, slowly. I read to him, and 



300 THE HOSPITAL. 

last night offered to pray with him ; and I have got him 
a reference Bible from the depot of the Bible Society at 
Constantinople. God grant that the good work may go 
forward in him. Oh, how I shall rejoice to leave the 
wards of this barrack ! Yet, God be praised, goodness 
and mercy have followed me even here " 

" Scutari, October 4, 1854. 

" My dearest Father, — .... The board of medical 
officers examined me yesterday, and pronounced me a fit 
case to go home ; to which I did not object. I trust and 
believe I am in the path of duty pointed out by the pro- 
vidence of God; for the matter has been so completely 
settled for me, that I do feel it has not been my own 
choice or doing. I am sure I cannot be fit for duty with 
my regiment in the Crimea this autumn; nor am I likely 
to be fit for work for some time, if I remain in this 
country. I am much better ; my feet are my chief trouble, 
but improving daily. Still I am kept lying down, and 
not yet able to walk beyond a few steps. For some days 
the suffering was acute day and night; but I have been 
mercifully relieved of pain. Oh, the joy of returning home 
to you all ! I can scarcely realise it; it seems too good 
to be possible. What abundant cause have I for thank- 
fulness to the Father of mercies ! . . . . 

"By the latest accounts from the army, our battalion 
and the 88th have taken the fort and town where they 
landed the siege train. The attack on Sebastopol was to 
commence on the 3d. The battahon has been always to 
the front, and without much loss." 

A little delay occurred after the sitting of the Board 



ATTENDS TO THE V/OUNDED, 801 

and Captain Hammond could not avail himself of the 
packet of the 10th. 

"Barracks, Scutari, October 9, 1854. 

" I feel you will be sadly disappointed at receiving only 

my writing instead of myself And now I hope to 

be able to go by the steamer of the 15th. ' Hope deferred 
maketh the heart sick.' Nevertheless, this little disap- 
pointment may be good to chasten our joy, and keep us 
from being over-elated. Let us always try to trace the 
hand of God in every event of our lives; this will sweeten 
every pleasure, and give comfort and peace in sorrow. . . . 

"There is a delightful spirit of Christian union and 
love among all the evangelical ministers at Constantinople 
— a lovely exhibition of the oneness of Christ's Church, 
however differing in outward things — a true and practical 
'Evangelical Alliance.' 

"My comrade * * * has gone over to Pera, and I 
don't think he will return here. He is much better as to 
bodily health; and I trust that what seemed to be a work 
of grace begun in him will go on unto perfection. If it 

is the Lord's work, it Avill Among other reasons 

which reconcile me to staying here a few days longer is 
this, that I am now well enough to be able to look a little 
after our poor sick and wounded men, many of whom 
are without any change of linen, and even without soap. 
Owing to the want of system and arrangement, many poor 
fellows have been kept for days without food; and I verily 
believe that a large number have died from exhaustion, 
from want of feeding and proper nursing. . . . Farewell. 
The Lord give us both patience to wait His will," 



302 THE HOSPITAL. 

Captain Hammond oot a passage on board the steamer 
of the loth, and landed in England early in October. His 
delight at returning home is expressed in a letter to a 
friend : — 

" Great indeed have been the Lord's tender 

mercies to me. I feel that words cannot express all I 
owe ; and when I say, ' What shall I render unto the 
Lord?' I feel I cannot make Him any other return than 
thankfully to receive the cup of salvation and call upon 
His name. What a mercy to have been spared the dread- 
ful scenes and deeds that have been and are still going on 
at the seat of war ! — though sometimes I feel anxious to 
be sharing those dangers with my friends and comrades. 
At the same time, I cannot but feel thankful to be re- 
moved from the dreadful realities of war, and to find 
myself restored to my precious wife and all my dear 
friends and relations at home 

" It is said that * * * has become a decided Christian 
lately. God grant that it may indeed be so. We must 
not limit the Holy One of Israel. The remembrance that 
such were some of us, should silence every difficulty with 
regard to others being brought into the fold. 

" Did you know poor T * * * ? What a glorious 
change for him, from the din and tumult of battle to the 
realms of peace and the immediate presence of Jesus ! 
He has left a lasting remembrance of his Christian 
labours in this place, where he was quartered for four 
years. Our dear colonel had a providential escape at 
Inkermann: two shots through his coat. Tvlio says that 
'man is immortal till his work is done?' it ii doubly 



JOY o^ i;eachikg engla:nd. 303 

true of the believer. 'There shall not an liair of your 
head perish/ " 

And to his brother: — 

" Dover, Sunday Night. 

" My dearest H * * *,— I have written to tell you 
of my safe arrival here on Friday evening. Imagine my 
joy and deep gratitude to the Father of all mercies. He 
has indeed ' brought me up out of an horrible pit and the 
miry clay,' and 'has put a new song into my mouth, even 
praise unto my God.' The feeling that I cannot praise 

and thank Him enough is almost oppressive I 

bless His holy name for the love and sympathy of so 
many of His dear people, whose prayers have been offered 
for me continua Jy ; and I feel assured that my return in 
safety and in peace is in answer to those prayers." 

Thus, even through a rough and stony road, through 
sickness and suffering, God graciously answered the prayer 
that constantly rose to Maxy Hammond's lips, and from 
his heart, during the long days of that Bulgarian summer. 
He looked himself upon that sickness, in connexion with 
his fear of death, which we have before alluded to, as expe- 
rienced by him in Bulgaria; and contrasting it with the 
inward peace which he felt during his illness, he believed 
it was sent in order to manifest to him the Lord's ffrace as 
sufficient for him in his weakness. 

Home, his wife, and his child were before him once 
more. " Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast 
not withholden the request of his lips." Joyful .indeed 
was that return to his father's roof. Yet but a little 



sot THE HOSPITAL. 

longer, a few short months, and another home would be 
liis. "In my Father's house are many mansions;" and 
with that one family already gathered there, his place 
would soon be found. But, short as the time was, there 
was trial yet for the Christian soldier, sore enough, to 
come. 

On Captain Hammond's recovery from his illness, his 
first thought was to devote himself more entirely than ever 
to the Lord. "What shall I say?'' was the outpouring of 
his soul ; " he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath 
done it: I shall go softly all my years. Thou hast, in 
love to my soul, delivered it from the pit of corruption. 
The living, the living he shall praise thee, as I do this 
day." Many years before, as we have mentioned, he had 
conceived the idea of entering the ministry. Now that 
desire returned with tenfold force. For some time past 
he had felt the deadening pressure of camp life. Like 
just Lot, his soul was vexed with the filthy conversation 
of the wicked. He loathed war in itself; and he longed 
to withdraw from the red field of slaughter, that he midit 
preach the gospel of peace. From Monastir, he had 
written, in the August previous, " I must confess to you 
that I feel sick of my profession, and long to be otherwise 
employed. Camj) life is uphill work for a Christian ; and, 
though the fault lies mainly with myself, there are so 
many difficulties and impediments to doing good that it 
seems next to impossible to do anything." There was 
also in his nature an innate repugnance to the scenes of 
the battle-field. Long before the war, while once talking 
of the. battle of Waterloo, and of the numbers that fell, he 
said, " He hoped that there were many who went to glory 



KEPUGNANCE TO THE EVIL PASSIONS OF WAR. 305 

from that field of battle," and then added, " It was not a 
desirable death for a Christian, since the excitement was 
calculated to stir up the evil passions of the heart;" and 
afterwards, when he heard of Captain Vicars' death, he 
said, " It is a painful thought that his mind was excited 
at the time leading his men against the Eussians, in 
repelling a sortie." And on his return from Scutari, when 
one said that a field of battle must be an opportunity for 
the exercise of a Christian state of mind, he replied, " He 
thought not. It would be a letting loose of all the evil of 
the natural man." Then came the struggle — " Is this the 
path of duty? Ought I, at such a time, upon any call, 
however strong, to leave those with whom I have cast in 
my lot? Bitter, indeed, repugnant to my very nature, these 
scenes of suffering, of horror, and of sin ; and yet ' The 
cup that my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?''' 
He even went so far towards this step as to have an inter- 
view with the Archbishop of Canterbury, who kindly con- 
sented to ordain him. But he felt, as the war thickened, 
that the way was more and more closed against him, and 
his mind was made up. On the morning on which he 
sailed for the Crimea, he said, " I have no regret at my 
determination not to take orders; I feel that my path of 
duty lies in the army, whether for life or death." 
In a letter to his brother. May 7, 1855, he says: — 

"You ask me about leaving the army. My feeling 
now is, and for some time has been, that I could not leave 
on the score of health, though I am not as strong as I 
used to be; and I do not feel at liberty to leave for any 
other reason at such a crisis. The path of duty seems 

u 



30 G THE HOSPITAL. 

plain before me — to return, in due time, to share the 
labours of the army in the field, whenever called upon to 
do so.'' 

Closing a note to a friend, with some observations on our 
opportunities for action wherever we may be, he says : — 

" Doubtless there is work for you to do where you are. 
May we know more fully what it is to live by the faith of 
the Son of God ! It is easy to make resolutions, and to 
wi'ite them; but how difficult to perform them! How 
much there was in those last words of Haldane Stewart — 
' I have not got beyond, " God be merciful to me a sin- 
ner !"' We shall never go beyond our need of the con- 
stant prayer, ' Lord, increase our faith/ These two prayers 
will keep us in our right place — sinners looking to Jesus." 

" Did you read," he says, in another note about this 
time, "a letter in the Times bearing noble testimony to 
the gallantry and Christian character of young Vicars? 

Such men are rare, and their place not easily 

filled." 

The spring and summer of 1855 was passed by him 
partly at his home, and partly at Southsea, where he had 
taken a house, and was stationed in command of the 
depot. His earnestness in doing his Master's work at 
this time, especially attracted the observations of his 
friends. The first Sunday, he went to the clergyman to 
ask if he could be of use in the school, being unable, in 
consequence of the distance, to undertake both the hospi- 
tal and the school, which he had previously established in 



LABOUES IN THE SCHOOL AND HOSPITAL. 307 

the spring at Fort Cumberland for the children of the 
depot. At the hospital he attended every Sunday after- 
noon, and, though still suffering in his feet from the 
effects of the Bulgarian fever, he always walked to Fort 
Cumberland and back (between three and four miles). 
He was very earnest and diligent as a Sunday school 
teacher, always preparing his lesson the day before, and 
making the children the subject of prayer. 

At these Sunday visits to the hospital, Maxy Hammond 
conducted a service for the sick, with the chaplain's per- 
mission. He used to read a portion of the Liturgy, and 
then expound some portion of Scripture. He valued these 
opportunities extremely, and used to say, he could get at 
the men better, and speak to them more familiarly and 
personally than at any other time. During the spring 
and summer of 1855, there was an average attendance of 
sixteen — some who had been in the Crimea, and some 
about to go there ; and he found men thus circumstanced 
ready listeners. After this service, he would read and 
pray separately with any who were seriously ill, and con- 
fined to their beds. But he was not intended to remain 
here much longer. The siege of Sebastopol, like the 
horse-leech, was crying. Give, give ! and the blood that 
flowed freely required re-placing. 

Early in April, he writes the next note : — 

" My dearest Father, — An order came down this day 
week for 1 captain, 4 subalterns, 6 sergeants, and 200 
men, to be held in readiness for immediate embarkation 
for Malta. E * * * has written to General Wetherall, 
to know whether he wishes to retain me to command the 



308 THE HOSPITAL. 

depot. No answer has been received It is most 

worrying to be in such a state of uncertainty, as I can- 
not make my preparations for going out. As for myself, 
I am quite willing to go or remain, only I wish they 
would tell me one way or the other There is com- 
fort in knowing, amidst all these changes of outward life, 
that there is an unseen hand guiding and directing all. 
If only we acknowledge Him in all, He will surely direct 
our steps aright." 

" FoET Cumberland, April 17. 

" My dear Father, — After all, another officer 

is ordered to go out, as they wish to detain me at the 

depot Though I am quite ready to go abroad 

when called upon, I must own I am thankful, on many 
accounts, to be left at home in peace. The Crimea is not 
a destination to be desired. I fear there is little doubt 
that warlike operations will last there long enough, to 
give one full time to take part in them sooner or later. 
Therefore, I need be in no hurry to get there. My rule 
always has been, and I believe always will be, never to 
ask for a thing; but I hope I never shall be an idle 
soldier as long as I am one at alL" 

Scarcely ten days later, and he writes again in sus- 
pense : — 

" My dearest M * * *, — This morning an order was 
received from the Crimea for three captains and twelve 
subalterns, to go immediately. The only three available 
captains are N * * *, W * * *, and myself; so I be- 
lieve I must really go this time. E « « » has gon6 



BUSPENSE. S09 

to-day to London, to learn what arrangements are to be 
made; and he promised to telegraph: so I hope to hear 
to-morrow. ' The lot is cast into the lap, but (blessed 
be our covenant God) the whole disposing thereof is of the 
Lord/ — Ever your most affectionate 

" M. M. H." 

But there was yet another change; the order was 
countermanded, and the immediate prospect of embarka- 
tion removed. Painful, indeed, as all this uncertainty 
must have been, it was but a further exercise of faith — a 
further refinement of the gold in the furnace— a further 
retouching and repolishing the jewel, that was needed to 
fit it for the Saviours crown. At such a season, espe- 
cially. Captain Hammond could sympathise with one Avho 
was then a weeping mother, and exhort her to bear a 
sorrow kindred to his own, but deeper still: — 

"Hay 16, 1855. 
"My dear Mrs H * * *,— I wished to be able to 
tell you when I wrote how the matter had been decided. 
Nothing is to be done at present about sending officers 
out; so we are left in suspense. I had hoped to see you 
as the summer approaches; but, in these changing and 

troublous times, no future plans can be made The 

loss of your precious boy makes me feel how watchful we 
ought to be not to make an idol of a child, seeing that 
they may be snatched away in a moment. But — 
" ' Oh not in anger nor in wrath 
Tlie reaper came that day ; 
Twas an augel visited the green earth, 
And took the flower away.' 



810 THE HOSPITAL. 

The sweet boy is far above the reach of the turmoil and 
trouble of this world of sin. Our heavenly Father 
knoweth that we have need of these things — the chas- 
tisement as well as the joys. We must have tribulation, 
if we would enter the kingdom. You must give up a 
child, and my wife and I must have separations and 
seasons of bitter trial and anxiety. But, whatever our 
trials may be, let us realise more fully the love and 
wisdom that orders all, and then we shall be able even 
to kiss the rod. — ^Your sincere friend, 

"M. M. H." 



THE HAKBLJfGEE. Jili 



CHAPTER XX. 

" While the labour lasted, while the race was running. 
Many times the sinews ached and half refused the struggle. 

But soon all would be quietness 

Hope was glad at the beginning, and fear was sad midway. 
But sweet fruition cometh at the end." 

In the early part of August 1855, after all these orders 
and counter-orders, the fiat was issued that was at last to 
send Maxy Hammond forth to finish the work that had 
been appointed for him here. Was he indeed, through 
the darkness and doubt that clouded his last autumn 
mornings, permitted to see in their near reality the eternal 
towers ? Did he, like the Idumean inquirer, through the 
dim twilight of time, seek for the morning ? " Watchman, 
what of the night? watchman, what of the night?" If 
so, doubtless, the answer was vouchsafed to him — " The 
morning cometh " — the night was indeed far spent, and 
the day was at hand. 

On the .9th of August his father, his mother, one brother, 
and one sister, went down to Southsca. On Friday, 
August 10, Maxy read with his wife for the last time 
1 Pet. i. 1-8. After tlie passage had been read, he repeated 
to himself, " incorrUptii)le, uiKkf.led, and that fadeth nut 



312 THE HARBINGER. 

away." He then said he had chosen a verse for his wife, 
" Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning 
on her beloved V And said, ^Aa^ was the attitude of soul 
that we should seek after. It had been settled that the 
rest of his family should come on that morning at nine to 
breakfast: so that he, with his wife, had a quiet time for 
prayer before they arrived. They knelt together in the 
drawing-room. He prayed for his wife, that the removal 
of earthly joy might the more endear to her her God and 
her Saviour. The impression on his mind seemed that of 
a very long separation as before them, and he used the 
expression, " Give her wisdom and grace to train up her 
child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," as 
though she were going to bring it up herself. In the 
same prayer he said, " Thou hast given us life : none can 
take away that life until thou dost thyself recall it." 

In the previous year, February 1854, when on the eve 
of embarkation, at a season precisely analogous to this, 
with all the uncertain future before him, he made use of 
a very remarkable expression, treasured up by us all, 
which perhaps comes more home to us now, and will find 
its place most seasonably here. He was sitting with his 
wife before the evening service ; and, speaking of the 
coming trials and the dangers of war, he said, " I know 
the anxiety you will feel ; but one cannot be anxious about 
one's self, for I feel I am so entirely in God's hands," and 
then he added, with a calm solemnity of tone, and as if 
weighing every word, " and if God should see fit to take 
me in that manner, sudden death is to the believer but 
sudden glory." 

TJie St Albans party, his father, mother, brother, and 



HIS LAST PRAYER WITH HIS FAMILY. 313 

sister, anivecl They were all in the dining-room. The 
servants came in. There was a depth of feeling and a calm 
dignity in Maxy's manner which was very striking. All 
present felt it. He said to his brother E * * *, a clergy- 
man, " E * * *, you must let me be my own priest to-day, 
please," and he then read the 121st and 125th Psalms, "I 
will lift mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh 
my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made 
heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to bo 
moved : he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold 
he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 
The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade upon thy 
right liand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the 
moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all 
evil : lie shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve 
thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, 
and even for evermore." " They that trust in the Lord 
shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but 
abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about 
Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from 
henceforth even for ever. For the rod of the wicked shall 
not rest upon the lot of tlie righteous, lest the righteous 
put forth their hands unto iniquity. Do good, Lord, 
unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in 
their hearts. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked 
ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with tlie workers of 
iniquity: but peace shall be wmu Israel." 

Those who were present will never forget the calming 
and solemnising effect of his beautiful prayer: commending 
himself to God, and those especially whom he was leaving 
behind to His love, and care, and grace. His special prayer 



314) THE HAKBINGER. 

for himself was, " That he niiglit honour God, whatever 
scenes he might pass through/' Little Nina, his child, 
two years and one month old, knelt at the sofa between 
her mother and her aunt F * * *. They feared she 
would interrupt the stillness, but she seemed to feel the 
solemnity of what was passing, and was quiet throughout. 

The preparations for departure were soon completed, 
and Maxy took leave of his wife, his child, and those of his 
family assembled at Southsea, to see them here no more. 
Bitter indeed was the parting, nor would it be possible it 
should pass without some misgivings, some forecast of 
sorrow in store. If holy Jacob could pour out the sorrows 
of an anxious heart, might not the Christian father, with- 
out rebelling, say, " If mischief befall him by the way in 
the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my grey hairs 
with sorrow to the grave." 

Before sailing, Maxy Hammond found time, as usual, 
to make some provision for the spiritual wants of his men. 
A well-known publisher says in a letter — " Captain Ham- 
mond was in * * * Street a few days before he sailed, 
and he was then, as always, intent upon obtaining for his 
men such publications as he thought likely to do them good. 
In the brief conversation we then had with him, we can 
weU remember how warm a place the men under his com- 
mand had in his Christian sympathies.'' 

The vessel appointed to convey those officers who were 
under orders for the Crimea was lying at Woolwich, and 
there Captain Hammond arrived late on the evening of 
the 11th. Here he was joined by his two other brothers 
and a sister, who had not received intelligence of his 
sudden departure in time to join the rest at Southsea. 



LAST PARTINGS. 315 

At the house of a kind and old friend they were expecting 
his arrival. Late at night a carriage drove up, and he 
jumped out; his face, as usual, forestalling the warm and 
joyful greeting of his lips. He was in uniform, with his 
pouch-belt and sword. All were struck with the very 
great apparent improvement in his health. He had latterly 
entirely thrown off the effects of his illness ; and it seemed 
as if God, in His gracious love, had restored him to the full 
and complete possession of his bodily vigour, in order 
that, in the last great earthly struggle that remained, he 
might go forth " strong in the power of His might," and 
honour Him, by his bearing before man,- in auswer to his 
prayers. 

Very cheerlessly the Sabbath morning came. The sun 
strove feebly to break the cold grey sky, and then with- 
drew within the mist. At an officer's quarters in the 
dockyard the party met and breakfasted together. They 
then joined together in prayer. The chapter read was 
Heb. xiii., " Let brotherly love continue." After break- 
fast, they walked through the dockyard to the quay. 
And though no sound of hammer, nor axe, nor iron tool 
was there, yet gun, mortar, ambulance, and tumbril, and 
pyramids of heavy shot and shell, spoke to us of purpose 
strangely at variance with that day of holy rest. Nearly 
midway across the river, the Harbinger was lying at her 
moorings, her black hull casting a heavy shadow upon the 
dull water. Volumes of brown smoke from her funnel 
indicated that she would soon be under weigh. Hailing a 
boat to go on board, and passing down the granite steps, 
along whose sides the sleepy ripple floated up the slimy 
weeds, and washed the red rust from cramp and iron 



C 1 6 THE HARBINGER. 

cable, with sad and full hearts the little party pulled off, 
and " accompanied him to the ship, sorrowing, most of all, 
that they should see his face no more." Upon the gang- 
way of the steamer, the sister and brothers parted; yet 
not sorrowing as those without hope. Those who Avere 
loft, returned in time to worship with those who were 
assembled in God's house, and to lift up their hearts to Him, 
comforted by a hymn singularly suited to the occasion. 
Before the congregation had left that roof, the Harbinger 
had weighed her anchor and had left the river; and 
Captain Hammond seized a moment of leisure to write 
a parting line of farewell to some of his friends : — 

" * Harbinger,' at Anchor, off N. Foreland, 
" August \%\S5o. 

" My dear Friend, — Often have you and I been called 
to enter into each other's joys and sorrows — in your case 
more frequently the latter. Now I write to tell you that 
the time has arrived when I am again called upon to part 
with those dearer to me than anything else on earth, to 
return to the East. The order came somewhat unex- 
pectedly at the last. For though I had been under orders 
for three weeks, I had still expected to have been kept for 
a time longer in charge of the depot, in consequence of 
the colonel having applied for this purpose to the adjutant- 
general. 

" But it is all ordered in wisdom and love; and, there- 
fore, it is well. The trial to my poor dear wife is one 
which is beyond human aid, but, blessed be God, not 
beyond the all-sufficiency of His grace. Do pray for her, 
my dear friend ; and for me also, that I may be enabled 



HIS JOURNAL ON THE PASSAGE OUT. 317 

to Iionour God before men. I wonder how you are. Oh, 
tliat the waves and billows of life may be wafting us all 
toward the haven of rest above. — Ever your affectionate 
friend, M. M. H." 

And to another friend — 

"My dearest J * * *," he writes in one of these 
hurried notes, " you will be somewhat astonished to hear 
that I am actually en route for the Crimea. So, farewell 
to all pleasant dreams of paying you and your dear wife a 
visit, for some time to come. The order to go out came 
upon us rather unexpectedly ; and I had thought I should 
have been kept for a time longer in charge of the depot. 
But it is well. My only thought is for my poor wife; 
grace only can keep her heart from sinking, and that grace 
is sufficient. Here is my comfort — you and your dear wife 
will pray for her, I know, and for me, that I may have 
grace to honour God before men." 

The next letter is a short one to his father, accompanied 
by a sort of journal, which it was his intention to keep 
from that period: — 

"August 25, 1855. 
" My dear Father, — I send you the journal, which may 
tell you something of our voyage as far as Malta. We 
have had a fine passage, though not a quick one, having 
had head winds since crossing the Bay of Biscay. Were 
it not that I was going aivay, I should really have enjoyed 
it. There is not the novelty in a second voyage that there 
was at first, though I had not before seen Gibraltar or 



318 THE HARBINGER. 

Algiers, as we have done this time. We expect to reach 
Malta very early to-morrow (Sunday) morning. I am 
very much afraid we shall coal, and go on without delay, 
which will be inconvenient, as I had reckoned upon pro- 
viding myself with sundry necessaries at Malta I 

cannot tell you the satisfaction I felt at having seen you 
all before I left. It is so nice to have you all fresh in my 
recollection, as among the last things I saw before leaving 
dear old England 

" We don't know, until we arrive at Malta, whether we 
shall go on at once in this ship, or be kept there. The 
captain's orders are only to take us as far as Malta, but I 
shall produce my letter for the Crimea (which I believe to 
have been a mistake of the clerk at the Brigade Office at 
Portsmouth), and I have little doubt the admiral will send 
us on at once. I sincerely trust so, for it would be very 
trying to be kept at Malta doing nothing 

''Monday, August 27, Malta. — Arrived yesterday 
morning, and to sail this morning. Direct to the Crimea, 
of course. — ^Your most afl'ectionate Max.'' 

Some extracts from the journal above alluded to may 
be read with interest: — ■ 

"August 11. — Embarked at ten AM. this morning, on 
board the Harbinger, weighed anchor at eleven, and 
steamed down the river. .... Our party consists of five 
officers Eiile Brigade, one of the 17th, and ten surgeons; 
our cargo, 200 tons of shot and shell, 50 tons of gun- 
powder, and other portions of a battering-train 

" August 17, Bay of Biscay. — Nearly every one suf- 
fered, more or less, from the rolling of the vessel. To-day 



J0UE3SUL ON ini: PASSAGE OUT. S19 

it Kas been delightfully smooth. Thankfully, indeed, did 
my heart ascend this morning to Him who says to the 
waves, ' Be still/ for the comfort, mental and bodily, thus 
afforded 

August 19. — The wind freshened from the east, and 
the captain prorrnosticated a Levanter, as we aj^proached 
the Gut of Gibraltar, which surely enough came true — 
the breeze gradually increasing all day, and till we entered 
the strait after midnight. The phosphorescent nature of 
the water in these latitudes is very curious and beautiful. 
Last night we all crowded to the bows to see it, and were 
astonished at the myriads of fish which were swimming 
in endless shoals on the surface, and which fled in all 
directions as the ship surged into the midst of them. At 
one time we came into the midst of a number of phos- 
phorescent flashes like watery meteors, which we could not 
account for. But the most exciting thing of all was the 
cry of porpoises, which played about the ship's bows, 
heedless of the speed with which we were cutting through 
the water, each porpoise illuminated with phosphoric light, 
and leaving behind it a long track like a luminous tail. 
They were evidently hunting the hordes of fish that we 
were driving before us 

"We had service yesterday morning on the quarter- 
deck, the captain reading the prayers, and the doctor the 
lessons. The poop was prepared with flags and awnings 
for the occasion, and every one appeared in Sunday best. 
The sailors seemed attentive, and the service (which never 
appeared more beautiful in my eyes) was altogether an 
impressive one. A quiet Sunday at sea is peculiarly re- 
frcKhin!:" to one's spirit. No unnecessary work is done, 



320 THE HAEBINGER. 

and tbe day is observed as a day of rest. We had a 
beautiful view of the African side of the strait; the out- 
line of the hills is wild and picturesque. On the other 
side, but at a greater distance than one would have de- 
sired, * The Eock' rose abruptly and majestically out of 
the water. It is, in truth, a striking object, and one that 
does not disappoint one's expectations. We passed close 
to the Spanish town of Cintra, with a fortified citadel. 

" August 23. — Overhauled and spoke the Samuel Lang, 
transport, No. 219, at eleven p.m., bound for Malta and 
Balaklava. The excitement on such occasions is great. 

*' August 24;. — We have just passed Bonah, and are 
now lying motionless between the Sorelli rocks (where 
the Avenger steamer was lost) and the mainland. About 
ten miles distant are the rocky and uninhabited islands of 
Galita. In the afternoon stopped the engines, to clean 
out the pipes which heat the boiler. While doing so, the 
John Boiues, steam-transport, passed close to us, bound 
for Balaklava with medical comforts. 

" August 25. — Passed the Sarah Sands, mth another 
transport in tow, about five miles off, apparently convey- 
ing troops 

"August 27. — Arrived at Malta yesterday (Sunday) 
morning, about six o'clock; attended the mid-day service 
at the palace at eleven; heard a very striking sermon 
from the chaplain, Mr Hare, on Ps. xc. 2, 3 — ' The Eter- 
nity of God.' Paid a visit afterwards to these kind, warm- 
hearted people. Felt thankful for a quiet Sunday, and 
for Mr Hare's stuTing sermon. Up, and on shore early, 
as we were coaling, and expected to sail at ten. Tried, 
and bought for £'28, a very nice little Spanish horse, 



JOURNAL ON THE PASSAGE OUT. 321 

which had been left at Malta by Sir J. Ferguson. The 
little horse stands about fourteen hands high, well-shaped 
and strong, and very quiet; ten or twelve years' old, and 
white. Our captain was excessively good-natured; got 
leave for me from the admiral to take the horse, and set 
his carpenter to make up a stall for him on deck. The 
harbour presents a wonderful spectacle in these times. 
We counted about fourteen steam- transports all filled 
with troops or stores, which had put in to coal ; and this 
goes on day after day, and week after week. What an 
idea it gives one of the expense of this war ! Colonel 
P * * * told me that they had sent up 8000 men from 
Malta within the last three months ; but still the returns 
shew about the same number — 21,000 actually on service. 
My little horse ' the General' gets on famously, and seems 
quite at home. He is a gTeat favourite with all the 
sailors. I shall try to get a goat, if possible, at Constan- 
tinople, as milk is a luxury unknown in the Crimea 

" September 3. — Arrived at Constantinople about five 

on Saturday evening On Sunday went to the 

service at the Embassy; heard a good sermon; received 
the communion afterwards. Felt it a great privilege to 
have this opportunity of receiving the sacrament on the 
last Sunday before reaching the Crimea. Went to Scutari 
in the afternoon to see an old 5 2d friend. He is now 
deputy-inspector of the Barrack Hospital. Went with 
him into some of the wards, and revisited the hospital 
again yesterday, when we completed our inspection of it. 
What a change for the better since I saw it last ! We 
have read endless accounts of all that was amiss there, 
but who has read any full description of the improvements 



822 THE HARBINGER. 

that have taken place, and the state of perfection to which 
it has now attained ? The wards are in beautiful order, 
well provided with shelves and utensils of all kinds ; the 
bedding and dresses of the patients beautifully clean. 
There are stores innumerable of every sort and descrip- 
tion imaginable — medicines, provisions, preserved meats, 
clothing, wine, porter, &c. The whole building is divided 
into so many numbered divisions, each one subdivided 
again into so many wards. Each division has its staff of 
superintendent, ward-master, orderlies, &c. We saw the 
bath-room, where every patient, not too ill, is washed on 
admission, has his old clothes taken from him, and re- 
ceives his hospital suit. There is a pack-room, where all 
the knapsacks are taken, and registered in a book ; so that 
here nothing can be lost. Within the interior ground 
many sheds have been erected for the convalescents, with 
dining-room and reading-room attached. In the reading- 
room there are comfortable English arm-chairs, and plenty 
of newspapers, besides books of all sorts. There is also 
another well-stocked library for the use of the sick. I 
saw several of our men who recognised me, though I 
seldom knew them, poor fellows 

The letters to his wife, written on his way out, contain 
passages strikingly beautiful. His mind was evidently 
becoming more and more abstracted from all earthly 
things. His affection for his wife was, indeed, intense; 
but still he w^as rapidly and practically concentrating his 
affections on things above; and his whole spirit was be- 
coming attuned to the harmony awaiting him in a higher 
and heavenly sphere. 



LETTER TO HIS WIFE. 323 

To his wife: — 

"Off Eddystone Lighthouse, 
August 14^, 1855. 

" With an aching heart, I am passing away from the 
land which contains my wife, child, and all whom I love 
dearest on earth. Were it not that I can, through grace, 
feel that my Saviour God is with m-^ my heart would sink 
beneath the weight of the past, and anticipation of the 
future. Already I have felt that it has been good for me 
to have been thus cut off from the happiness of my 
home. My heart has been drawn closer to Jesus, and my 
constant prayer is — 

Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee, 
E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me. 
Be sure that the right trial comes at the right moment. 
We could not have chosen so well for ourselves, hard 
though it be for flesh and blood. Jesus hath ' prayed for 
thee, that thy faith fail not.' Here is my comfort in 
thinking of you. He will not suffer your faith utterly to 
fail. So 'lift up your heart to the hills from whence 
Cometh your help.' When your heart is overwhelmed, then 
pray — ' Lead me to the Eock that is higher' than 1/ * He 
(Jesus) is a Eock, and His way is perfect.' I have needed 
this trial; perhaps we both have. For I know the ten- 
dency of our hearts to lean too much in, and rest too 
much on, each other's love. When with you, I am satis- 
fied, and feel at rest. But he ' builds too low that builds 
below the skies.' I have yet to learn that we must look 
only for rest in the kingdom of the Prince of Peace. 

" jUigust 17. — I can scarcely believe that six days have 
passed since tliat day. The last two have been miserable 



324 THE HARBINGER. 

enough; l)odily, and t'lerefore mentally. For sea-sickness 
prostrates all our energies, and wholly unfits one for 
speech, thought, or action. But, to-day, it is dehghtfully 
smooth, and I breathe once more. I trust our experience 
will be found to agree that 

Trials make the promise sweet, 
Trials give new life to prayer. 
I have found it so, through the rich mercy of my God. 
But I must watch against the deceitfulness of my heart, 
and not forget whence alone my strength can come. 
You are never absent from my thoughts; but, again and 
again, I fall back upon the comfort of knowing that Jesus 
loves you more tenderly, more wisely, and more constantly 
than I do. He will sustain and keep you, and give you 
songs in the night. I was comforted this morning in 
prayer for you, in thinking that the promise would be 
fulfilled to you — 'I will not leave you comfortless; I mil 
come to you.' Oh! if Jesus come to you, you will have 
such a portion as your husband can never be to you. . . . 

" It was such a comfort to me to have seen all the 
family, except dear F # * *, before I left. I wrote short 
notes to Mr M * * *, W * * * J * * *, A * * * 
P * * *, and G * * *; dear M * * * and S * * *, 
give them my parting love when you Amte 

" We had a pleasant Sabbath yesterday. The service 
was very impressive. Never do I more fully appreciate 
the beauty and fulness of our Liturgy than on these 
occasions. It was sweet to feel, too, that those at home 
were worshipping the same God, through the same 
Mediator. , . . 

•'I have become so fond of little G * * *, and her 



LETTEIt TO HIS WIFE. 325 

good aunt ; she is such a nice and affectionate child ; and, 
moreover, I trust a child of God. She has got a number 
of tracts and little books, which she was anxious to give 
to the sailors and soldiers; so I went round with her, 
and she was well received. 

" August 21. — I enjoyed so much the hour I spent with 
dear F * * *, after returning from the H * * *'s, on 
the night of Saturday. Though dreadfully tired, I would 
not have missed that quiet time with him on any account. 
He read Heb. iii., and prayed with me. My Jieart is 
much cast down; but I would not liave it otherwise. 
Only I pray that I may glorify God, by trusting in Him, 
even in the darkest day. It is not easy to keep up the 
outward appearance of cheerfulness; but I feel that I 
ought to do so. I always endeavour to do so, as far 
as I can, for the sake of those with me. . . . 

" Monday, August 27th, Malta. — We go this morning 
direct to the Crimea. In great haste, I must end." 

To his wife : — 

" August 29, Harbinger. 

"It was a great comfort to me to have a 

quiet Sunday at Malta. I enjoyed the service, though, 
alas! my thoughts wandered sadly. Mr H * * ♦ 
preached in his usually earnest and striking style. I felt 
that I ought to make the most of this 'meat,' in the 
strength of which I shall probably have to go for many 
days. . . . Alas! how cold often is my heart; and yet, 
through all its wanderings, and worldliness, and sin, I 
trust I can say, ' Lord, Thou knowest all things ; Thou 
knowest that I love Thee.' I do so prize that svreet 



32 G THE HARBINGER. 

little book, 'The Mind and Words of Jesus;' it so often 
speaks a word in season to me. We are getting on but 
slowly; some on board are 'grumbling,' which I abhor 
above all things 

" I do trust and pray that you may be able to commit 
my way to Him in humble confidence, and that your heart 
may be kept in peace, resting on Him. Hitherto, thank 
God, I have had no disquieting thoughts for myself. 
FeeUng so fully that I am in His hands, I can calmly 
look forward to all dangers and risks, to which I shall 
probably be exposed. ' The determinate counsel and fore- 
knowledge of God ' affords, at this season, peculiar com- 
fort. Seek to cherish this blessed truth, that all is be- 
fore appointed. Then, come what will, all must be 
well. I have no presentiment of coming evil, and no 
vain confidence of escaping danger. I place myself in 
the hands of my Saviour God. I rest in His finished 
work, as a poor guilty sinner. I hope in His mercy, and 
leave the issue in His hands, without carefulness. This 
trial is for the exercise of our faith. Oh! that grace may 
be given us to glorify our Lord, by doing or suffering 
what He may appoint. 

''September 2d, Constantinople. — Arrived this morn- 
ing, and am to see Mr F * * * (the Free Church mis- 
sionary) afterwards. I want also to pay a visit to 
Scutari. God bless and be with you. M. M. H." 

In the little volume above alluded to — " The Mind and 
Words of Jesus" — the following passages underlined may 
be taken as expressive of the spirit and temper of mind 
to which he had attained at this period : — 



EXTEACTS FROM THE 'MIND AND WORDS OF JESUS." 32? 

P. 74 — "Be pcatieiit. The Lord is good to them that 
wait for Him. With thee, the tribukition that worketh 
patience is needful discipline.'' 

P. 75 — " In patience, then, possess ye your souls. Let 
it not be a grace for peculiar seasons, called forth in pecu- 
liar exigencies ; but an habitual frame, manifested in the 
calm serenity of a daily walk; placidity amid the little, 
fretting annoyances of everyday life ; and fixed purpose 
of the heart to imit upon God, and cast its every burden 
upon Him." 

P. 114 — "We know not what tenderness of the blast 
there is in the rough wind; what 'needs-he' are folded 
under the wings of the storm." 

P. 115 — " Do not anticipate the trials of to-morrow, to 
aggravate those of to-daj^" 

P. 125 — "Then let death overtake you when it may, 
you will have nothing to do but to die." This is the last 
'passage marked in the volume. 

A few more extracts from his journal will connect this 
letter with Captain Hammond's arrival at Balaklava:— 

''Sept. 3. — Got steam up, and under weigli about five 
o'clock on Monday. Through the Bosphorus before dark. 
Stormy head wind and heavy sea greeted us as we entered 
the Black Sea. ... 

" Sept. 5, one p.m. — Cape Cherson is now full in sight, 
and we expect to reach Balaklava in three or four hours. 
Arrived in Balaklava Eoads about half-past three. The 
approach is very striking : cliffs of varying heights, from 
eight hundred to two thousand feet, of red or slate- 
coloured rock, rise abruptly from the water's edge ; and 
one can form some idea of the terrible predicament those 



o2S THE HARBINGER 

poor fellows were in, who were anchored where v/e are 
now, in that terrible gale of the 14th of November. Not 
a trace can be perceived of anything like a harbour until 
you are close to it, when you discover the masts of vessels 
peeping up from out of the rocks. Went into harbour 
with the captain for orders. As we entered, we read the 
names, painted on the rocks — 'Powell Point,' 'Castle 

Point,' * Leander Bay,' &c The harbour is full of 

shipping, arranged in excellent order on both sides, leav- 
ing a channel between just sufficient for a ship to pass in 
or out. Landed at the Ordnance, where shells and other 
stores were being landed, and taken away by artillery- 
waggons. Learned that the fire opened this morning: 
could see the flashes of the guns from our decks." 

Here the journal closes. 

Captain Hammond had also written on the same day to 
his wife, from the Harbinger, in sight of Cape Cherson : — 

''September o, 1855. 

"We are steaming quietly along towards Balaklava. 
We expect to be off the harbour by four o'clock. You 
would think this would be an exciting time ; but it is not 
so. I have been so long and so calmly looking forward 
to it, that it fails to produce the excitement that it might 
once have done. The quiet time on board ship has been 
a great privilege, before entering on the distractions and 
turmoils of camp life. I have been enabled, in some 
measure, to commune with my own heart and with my 
God in secret ; and on Sunday last I was thankful to 
have an opportunity of partaking of the sacrament at the 



LETTER TO HIS WIFE. 329 

Embassy. I felt much comfort and peace in the ordi- 
nance; its value seemed enhanced from the feeling that 
it was probably the last time that I should have an op- 
portunity of receiving it in anything like a church. Mr 
B * * * has engaged the services of a good man during 
his absence. He preached from Job, on the words — ' I 
Avould not live alway : ' shewing the reason why the 
Christian might adopt them as his own. Oh, ought we 
not to bless our God for every trial which may lead us to 
a desire to depart and to be with Christ 1 When all is 
bright, and prosperous, and happy, then we would not 
give up these earthly blessings, no, not even for those 
hio^her blessinojs which are above : but when all is dark, 
and gloomy, and uncertain, earthly blessings and consola- 
tions gone, then the heart yearns for those things which 
pass not away — for that 'inheritance' which is 'incorrup- 
tible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.' I long to 
hear that you can tell me that our God is leading us 
aright, and that you can trust His faithfulness to do all 
things well. My constant prayer for you is, that your 
faith may not fail — that His strength may be sufficient 
for you always. 

" 8.30. — Here we are safely anchored in the roadstead 

of Balaklava You will learn by telegraph that ^Ye 

opened fae again this morning; but not much is expected 
from it, so far as I can learn from Balaklava. We hfive 
been watching the flashes in the direction of Sebastopol. 
Their frequency astonishes us novices. Strange to say, 
we cannot hear the report of the guns ; but, doubtless, 
we shall hear and see more than enough of them before 
we have done 



S30 THE HARBINGER. 

" Went on shore to arrange about getting our bairgage 
up to camp. Saw Dr B * * * (one of our assistant- 
surgeons in Balaklava), and learned from him that dear 
J * * * is in camp, and well 

" The Lord be with you and with us both for time and 
eternity." 

There are one or two passages in this letter, which, 
without attributing to them any undue meaning, still 
cannot fail to strike us, as we read them now, with sin- 
gular solemnity — passages especially fulfilled in the result, 
though we would not assign to them any prophetic cha- 
racter, beyond that general one, which they bear in rela- 
tion to all those similarly circumstanced with Captain 
Hammond. Yet let us view them in connexion with the 
whole out-breathing of his soul during the last year of 
his life; his yearnings for rest in a continuing city — his 
consciousness of the frailty of the silver cord that binds 
body and soul together here, and that, seventy-fold more, 
in those days of peril. And, if we so weigh them, do they 
not waken solemn thoughts in our minds ? Was it not 
under the immediate guidance of the Holy Spirit that the 
preacher chose his text on that last Sunday on which 
Captain Hammond was to bow the knee in God's house — 
*' I would not live alway?" Might not that text have 
come with a resistless v/elcome to the heart of the hearer, 
— yet, comparing them, as he listened to another pas- 
sage, which, though perhaps uncertainly prophetic of the 
Saviour, is yet so striking to all who read it now, that it 
is, as it were, impossible to disconnect it with Christ — " I 
know that my Redeemer liveth; and although after my 



EEFLECTIOXS. 331 

skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see 
God?" Or, as that ripened Christian wrote and spoke of 
peace and comfort of soul, of a strengthening and refresh- 
ing by a partaking of the sacred feast of love in remem- 
brance of the Lord Jesus, was he not lifted up in spirit 
beyond this world to the next, when he recorded this 
occasion as "probably the last time 1 shall have an oppor- 
tunity of receiving it in anything like a church?" It 
almost seems as if the Saviour's voice was sounding in 
his ears — " I will not henceforth drink of this fruit of the 
vine, until the day when I drink it new with you in my 
Father's kino:dom." 



332 THE CEIMEA. 



CHAPTER XXL 

'* Father, oh ! lead me on ! 
Lead me to death or to victory send me ! 
Lord, to Thy sovereign will I commend me. 
Lord as Thou -wilt, so lead me on. 
Father ! Thy will be done." 

Battle Pkayeb. 

The short period of two days that elapsed between Cap- 
tain Hammond's landing and the final attack upon Sebas- 
topol were chiefly occupied in settling himself in camp, 
superintending the disembarkation of his luggage, and 
paying visits to his friends. And yet he found time in 
the first confusion of arrival to visit the sick in hospital, 
remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, " Come, ye 
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for 
you, ... for I was sick and ye visited me." 

The few particulars of these last two days may be best 
gathered from the letters of a brother officer and most 
attached friend. 

" Camp before Sebastopol. 

" I will just in a few words mention some things that 
will interest you, regarding the two days he spent in camp 



BEFORE THE ATTACK. 333 

with US. Having heard, on the evening of the 5th, that 
he liad arrived at Balaklava, I rode down the following 
morning, and met him on Colonel L * * *'s horse, which 
had been sent to meet him. We rode back to camp, wel- 
coming each other with a chastened joy, and with some 
vague misgivings in my mind. He was cheerful, looked 
well, and I pointed out to him the various localities ren- 
dered remarkable by recent events in this weary campaign. 
He dined with me, enjoying the camp comfort of the hut 
in which I live. Afterwards, true to his old spirit of love 
and benevolence, he visited the hospital, talked and shook 
hands with all the old soldiers he recognised, and also had 
a kind conversation with the hospital sergeant, whose wife 
is with Mrs Hammond. We then walked to the front of 
our encampment, and I pointed out to him such works of 
the enemy and the allies as were within view. On return- 
ing to camp we mounted our horses again, and rode to 
Cathcart's Hill, where a good view of the town can be 
obtained. On our return we called on his cousin, Major 
G * * *. After tea we walked again to the front to see 
the cannonade and the shelling. On the following morning 
at breakfast he said he had slept but little, from the dust 
which was flying about and the excitement connected with 
the terrific firing. He afterwards rode into Balaklava to 
inquire for his horse, and wi'ote a letter to his wife, when 
in the meantime the plan of the morrow's attack was pub- 
lished in orders. 

" We talked together of the dread work before the army 
and the regiment, and in compliance with his then request 
I now write to you. ' John,' as he always affectionately 
called 131^- ' wri'tc to my father if any thing befalls me. 



2S4i THE CKIMEA. 

You know his address.' He tlieii added, his eyes filling 
with tears, ' Write to my wife, too,' and spoke about selling 
his things; under no kind of dej^ression, but as if to 
be ready for the worst. I agreed, of course, and asked 
him to leave his watch with me, with his keys, which he 
did, passing the subject off by saying that we often talked 
of such matters among ourselves, from the uncertainty of 
camp life, from sickness, as well as the shot of the enemy. 
" After finishing our letters, he proposed that we should 
have our ordinary reading of the Scriptures, with prayer, 
asking me to read. I read the .91st Psalm, which led to 
some conversation regarding God's care of His own pecu- 
liar people. He said he did not think this applied lite- 
rally to every individual believer, or words to that effect ; 
and then read a passage from one of his wife's letters, as 
expressive of what he felt to be the right view of the sub- 
ject.* He then prayed with a fervour and unction that 
recalled the many sweet prayers that I have heard uttered 
by that dear voice which is now attuned to everlasting 
praise before the Lamb. My mind was much distracted 
about him ; but I recollect feeling how he dwelt on the 
undue importance we attach to seen and temporal things, 
and the importance of unseen and eteinal things. He 
mentioned in prayer his wife and child, and those dear 
brethren whom we are accustomed to remember in our 
social prayers. We bid each other good night with an 
affectionate shake, our hearts filled with hopes and fears 
regarding the morrow. He wished me to call him early 
in the morning, that he might have some time for prayer 

* It is well to compare his altered opinion on this bead with that expressed 
in a letter to his wife, dated August 25, \S5i. 



LAST LETTER TO HIS WIFE. ^35 

before breakfast, which was earlier than usual on account 
of parade/' 

The letter to his wife, alluded to above, as written on 
the evening of the 7th, the night before the attack, is as 
follows : — 

" Camp befoee Sebastopol, 
October 7, 1855. 
" I am not going to write a long letter, because I have 
already posted one for you, and I am rather tired this 
evening through the excitement of the scenes around me, 
the sights and sounds, which have taken the place of what 
we used only to read of. Long before this reaches you 
you will probably have heard of another attack on the 
Redan, Malakofi', or both. Who shall say whether it will 
be attended with success or failure ? But the Lord reign- 
eth, and to Him only can the soul turn in looking to the 
unknown future. A very heavy bombardment has been 
going on for the last three days without intermission ; a 
heavier fire than any other that has hitherto taken place. 
There is no manner of doubt that something great is to 
take place immediately. In fact we were told so on parade 
this evening by General C * * *. Two days' rations 
have been issued to the Second and Light Divisions, and 
it is expected that we shall move down to the trenches to- 
morrow morning. At all events, it is to be hoped that this 
time they will not repeat the blunders of the 18th, and 
that we shall not attack till the French have stormed the 
Malakoff. I have not yet been down to the trenches, so 
that my inauguration will probably be a serious one. But 
I can calmly leave the event in the hands of a Saviour 



336 THE CRmEA. 

God. Come life or come death, my only hope is in the 
blood which cleanseth from all sin. My heart sometimes 
sinks when I think of those at home. But He is faithful 
who has said, ' When thou passest through the waters / 
will be with thee.' And He luill be with thee, even to the 

end of the world One does not realise the curse of 

war until one comes in contact with it 

" The order for the attack has just come out; thankful I 
am that you cannot know it, dearest, beforehand. F * * *, 
with 100 men, form the covering party to the whole. The 
remainder of our battalion form part of the reserve, and 
follow up the attack. The Lord Jesus be with you ! 

" P.S. — September 8th, 6.80 A.M. — I have had a peaceful 
time for prayer, and have committed the keeping of my 
soul and body to the Lord my God, and have commended 
to His grace and care my wife and child, my parents, 
brothers and sisters, and all dear to me. Come what will, 
all is well. This day will be a memorable one. Fare- 
well, once more ! Ps. xci. 15 is my text for to-day, espe- 
cially the words, * I will be with him in trouble.'" 

This calm awaiting of whatever might befall him in 
the Lord's good time, calls to remembrance some very 
beautiful lines, whose source the writer cannot at this 
moment remember ; yet they seem almost penned to illus- 
trate his last-written words : — 

'' Art thou not sadly weary ? Answer me, 
Mariner, What thinkest thou, when the waters beat 
Thy frail bark backv/ard from the wished-for harbour ? 
Oh, brother! though innumerable waves 



AK OVEKKULIKG PEOVIDEXCE, 337 

Shall seem to rise betwixt me and my home, 

/ hiow that they are numbered; not one less 

Should bear me homeward, if I had my will ; 

For One, who knows what tempests are to weather, 

O'er whom there broke the wildest billows once, 

He bids these waters swell. In His good time 

The last rough wave shall bear me on its bosom 

Into the bosom of eternal peace* 

No billows after ! They are numbered, brother. 

Oh, gentle mariner, steer on, steer on ; 

My tears still fall for thee, but they are tears 

In which faith strives with grief and overcomes." 

The mysterious deaHngs of God's providence, which 
placed Captain Hammond on the soil of the Crimea, on 
the ver3^ eve of the assault, are most remarkable. Humanly 
speaking, all circumstances seemed to point to a different 
result. His final embarkation occurred after a succession 
of delays, counter-orders, and uncertainty, as to whether 
he or some other officer should be sent. A direct appli- 
cation, that he should be left in charge of the depot, was 
made by his commanding officer, who was most anxious 
to keep him at a post where the qualilies of an efficient 
officer were called for. This application was actually 
granted, and subsequently withdrawn. Then occurred the 
error of one of the clerks, who made out the route for 
the Crimea instead of Malta, where, in the ordinary 
course, the draft would have been landed, had not Captain 
Hammond himself explained and overruled the mistake. Any 
slight occurrence, a little longer delayat Constantinople, the 
prevalence of head winds on the passage out, a very trifling 

y 



338 THE CRIMEA. 

circumstance, indeed, would have caused those two days to 
slip away that alone intervened between Captain Ham- 
mond's arrival and the storming of the great Eedan. Yet 
what avail those combinations of second causes, which 
men term " chance " or accident, in the ordained decrees 
of Him " by whom we live, and move, and have our being." 
The grain was ripe, and the husbandman was ready to put 
in the sickle, because the harvest was come. 

" On the evening preceding the attack," we quote from 
an officer's letter, " Captain Hammond entered the mess- 
room, where all the officers were assembled, after haviug 
volunteered for duties of special danger on the following 
day. The real feeling of each officer may probably be 
guessed ; but the conversation was generally of that light 
and thoughtless character usual in a mess-room. An orderly 
came to the door, and having whispered an announcement, 
the party prepared to break up. ' Hammond, we are all 
going to take the sacrament ; of course you will come.' ' I 
wish I had known ; why did they not tell me,' was the reply ; 
and, after a few moments' hesitation, Captain Hammond 
added, 'No, I am not prepared now.' The whole of the 
officers then repaired to the little wooden chapel." 

On returning to the hut of an intimate friend, Captain 
Hammond said, " He did not like this ' rushing ' to the 
table of the Lord, and that he had, besides, on the preceding 
Sabbath communicated at Constantinople, and had found 
it good to be there." 

On the same afternoon a parade had taken place, and 
General C * ♦ * here brieiiy addi^essed the troops in 



"QUITE KEADY." 339 

connexion with the expected assault. At the conclusion, 
Captain Hammond was returning to his tent with an officer, 
at that time a subaltern, and who had been a fellow-pas- 
senger with him on board the Harbinger. On the way 
that officer addressed him, " Well, it is as I prophesied on 
board the Harbinger ; they have got a field-day for us." 
Captain Hammond's reply was one of no little significance, 
and not easily forgotten by those who knew the deep cur- 
rent of his thoughts. " Well, I am quite ready," he said, 
"for anything that may happen." It is not a little in- 
structive to compare this short utterance with that ardent 
desire for prolonged life which he had experienced in Bul- 
garia. The request of his lips had been heard. His 
home, his wife and child, had been restored to him. In 
the restoration of these blessings for a very considerable 
time, he had been enabled to await the issue of a return 
to the seat of war with perfect acquiescence in the will of 
God. The growing feeling of his heart was now that of 
the preceding Sunday's text — " I would not live alway." " I 
have a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is/ar 
better." " He was indeed ready to be offered, and the time 
of his departure was at hand." 

It is not improbable that the following marked passage, 
in a little volume of "Hymns for a Week," was selected 
by him on the Friday preceding his death : — 

" Dost thou with dread still greater, shrink, 
From pain for those on earth so dear. 
And oft with sickening anguish think, 
On all they yet may suffer here? 



3^0 THE CRIMEA. 

Oh 1 faithless, unbelieving heart ! 

Too slow to trust that tenderest Friend, 
Who will the needful strength impart; 

Who loving, loves unto the end. 

No longer doubt, nor fear, nor grieve ; 

Nor on uncertain evils dwell; 
Past, present, future calmly leave 

To Him who will do all things well/* 

He was very fond of " Clark's Scripture Promises ; " and, 
having lost his old copy, had taken pains to procure 
another before he left England. When it was returned, 
with other things, the marks were in p. 98 of that 
edition (112 of the latest), of which the following is a 
transcript: — 

Deuteronomy xxxii. 11, 12. — "As an eagle stirreth up 
her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her 
wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the 
Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god 
with him.'* 

Psalm xxxiii. 18. — "The eye of the Lord is upon them 
that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy." 

Isaiah xlvi. 3, 4. — " Hearken unto me, house of 
Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which 
are born by me from the belly, which are carried from 
the womb: And even to your old age I am he, and even 
to hoar hairs will I carry you. I have made and wiU 
bear; even I will carry and will deliver you." 

Isaiah Ixiii. 9. — " In all their affliction he was afflicted, 
and the angel of his presence saved them: ia his love and 



NIGHT BEFOEE THE ATTACK. 34:1 

in his pity he redeemed them ; and he bare them, and 
carried them all the days of old/' 

Zechariah ii. 8. — " He that toncheth you, toucheth the 
apple of his eye." 

1 Peter v. 7. — " Casting all your care upon him; for he 
careth for you." 

Matthew x. 30. — " The very hairs of your head are all 
numbered." 

Luke xxi. 18. — "There shall not an hair of your head 
perish." 

We all know the history of the first attack. To that 
" terrific fire," which was poured for three successive days 
upon the devoted city, a night of quiet succeeded. Out- 
wardly, at least, there was a semblance of repose through- 
out the weary camp. But it was like the rest that 
precedes the uptearing of the earth — the rending of the 
everlasting hills — the bursting forth of the lava flood. 
Well, indeed, might we speculate on the train that filled 
each soldier's thoughts that night. Many jaded forms 
tliere must have been, who, under the gentle hand of 
sleep, were lulled to forgetfulness of the awful morrow. 
Some there may have been, to whom sweet rest refused 
to come. Would to God there were many a one, and 
such there doubtless were, who, at such an hour, on that 
solemn night-watch before the day of terror, could say 
with him with whom we have to do, " Come life or come 
death, my hope is in the blood which cleanseth from all 
sin." 



342 THE STORMING. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

** Few, few shall part where many meet ; 
The snow shall be their winding-sheet — 
And many a turf beneath their feet 

Shall be a soldier's sepulchre." 

Campbell. 

" And, behold, a man came out of the camp. And David 
said unto him. How went the matter ? I pray thee, tell 
me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the 
battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; 

and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also And 

David took hold of his clothes, and rent them; and he 
mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul and 
for Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord, because 
they were fallen by the sword." 

Early on the morning of the 8th, the bugles of the 
Rifle Brigade sounded for the parade. It was Captain 
Hammond's first day of duty in the Crimea. He had 
slept well, was refreshed, and quite cheerful. He had 
expressed a wish to Colonel M * * * to lead his own 
old company, and it was placed at his disposal: and, duly 
equipped and accoutred, he marched down to the trenches 
with the battalion. A portion of them, as before stated. 



THE RIFLES ADVANCE TO ATTACK. 3 i3 

were to act as coverers to the column of attack; the re- 
mainder were to be held in reserve ; and for this duty 
Colonel M * * * had selected those officers whose recent 
arrival rendered them imperfectly acquainted with the 
trenches. Among these was Captain Hammond. The 
reserve was directed to occupy a portion of the third 
parallel, where, though under fire, they were compara- 
tively safe. There they remained, conversing cheerfully, 
and watching the troops, for an hour or so. Suddenly 
word was passed for the Rifles to come to the front, as 
the assaulting party required support. The battalion rose, 
and filed off, under a heavy direct and flanking fire, into 
the fifth parallel, through an intricate maze of trenches 
and approaches. Here there was a momentary pause. 
Then the dark column, clearing the parapet, issued fi-om 
the trench. Amid a storm of shot and shell, bringing 
death and destruction on all sides, the riflemen rush across 
the intermediate space. Those who escape that iron hail • 
storm gain the glacis. At the edge of the ditch, two 
ofiicers are resting, side by side, to gather breath. The 
lips of one of them are moving in prayer. One moment 
more, and he ascends the scaling-ladder. On the summit 
of the parapet his hand is grasped by a friend. They had 
not seen one another for years : it was a strange meeting. 
But this was no time for words of welcome : all was in 
confusion. After a few sentences about rallying the men, 
Captain Hammond passes on. Here, for some little time, 
he is seen vainly endeavouring to restore order. His exer- 
tions at this time were observed by General W * * *, 
who, unaware of his fate, subsequently recommended him 
in orders. Soon alter this he is seen by another officer 



24i^ THE STOKMIXG. 

of the Rifles (Mr B * * *, himself also now no more). 
Captain Hammond was then suffering great pain, probably 
from a contusion of the hand ; and B * * * told him he 
ought to go to the rear. He said, "This is no time for 
that;" and ordered B * * * to collect some men and 
try the other flank of the Redan. 

Pressing forward then himself into the heart of the 
work, with a colour-serjeant and one or two devoted men 
who had bound up their fate in his, his sword is seen 
flashing far in advance in personal encounter. " I saw 
an officer of the Rifles/* said one, immediately after the 
action, "whose name I do not know — a fine tall man — 
behaving heroically."' Once or twice in that deadly fray 
his form ai)pears through the embrasures ; and, for a few 
moments, before his strong arm the Russian foeman retires 
and closes again. But to him neither earthly crown, nor 
medal, nor grateful country's praise, is in store for these 
moments of devotion. The deadly bayonets close around 
him, the sword drops from the uplifted hand, and he sinks 
into the arms of an oflicer of the 41st. But with angels, 
and seraphs, and the hosts of heaven, who were waiting 
*' on the other side of the river," there were hymns of joy 
that day. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath 
it entered the heart of man, the things that God hath pre- 
pared for that happy ransomed spirit. " And, lo, a Lamb 
stood on mount Sion, and with him an hundred and forty 
and four thousand, havmg his Father's name written in 
their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the 
voice of many waters; and I heard the voice of harpers 
harping with their harps ; and they sung as it were a nev/ 
sono- before the throne: and no man could learn that saufr 



THE SEARCH. S t5 

but the liimdred and forty and four thousand which were 
redeemed from the earth/' *' And, lo, a great multitude, 
which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, 
and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and 
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in 
their hands. They shall hunger no more, neither shall 
they thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, 
nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of 
the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto 
living fountains of waters ; and God shall wipe away all 
tears from their eyes.'" 

No need to speak at length of that miserable day. No 
need to dwell upon the gloom that pervaded the British 
camp. Yet, merging the national disappointment in the 
grief of personal loss, the foot of friendship went forth in 
the grey twilight to seek, among the slain in that fatal 
ditch, some comrade, some beloved brother. Before night- 
fall, an effort was made to recover the body. Captain 
R * * *, an officer of the72d Highlanders, at much risk, 
took with him a party of men, and made search in vain. 
In the morning, very early, a party of Riflemen approached 
from the works towards the camp. The precious object 
of their search had been found. An expression of sweet 
peace rested on the placid features. A very small punc- 
ture, close to the heart, told how instantaneous must have 
been his death. Almost upon the wound, a locket, bathed 
in his heart's blood, was lying; and many of those, who 
looked through their tears, must have read, in that fixed 
calmness of death, the seal of the promise, '• Mark the 
perfect man, and behold the upright for the end of that 
man is peace." 



84:6 THE STOKJVIIJS'G. 

Yet for him, over whom the heavenly host rejoiced that 
day, why should we mourn? Should we not rather take 
up the song of praise? Should we not rather, while we 
lift up our hearts in thankful gratitude to Him who loved 
him and redeemed him, give utterance to thoughts such 
as these: — 

"To weep for HBi? to weep for whom'? 

The loved on earth — the saved in heaven; 
Triumphant o'er the narrow tomb — 

His sorrows past — his sins forgiven — 
What! weep for hbi? it must not be — 
Our tears woiild blot his victory. 

"Nay! hymn his flight in rapturous songs; 

For he, in death's embrace, hath done 
With human griefs, and fears, and wrongs; 

His fight is fought — his triumph won; 
The immortal crown is round his brow; 
He dwells beside the Saviour now. 

" Weep not ! or weep as those should weep 
Whose hope is stronger than their sorrow: 
To-night our loved and lost ones sleep, 

But Christ will bring them back to-morrow ! 
We shall not long lament them here; 
Our home is in a brighter sphere." 

Moultrie. 

Then let us, while our hearts bum with these thoughts, 
follow him to his place of rest — 



THE BUKIAL PLACE. 347 

The place is silent; rarely sound 
Is heard those craggy hills around ; 
No hum of business, dull and loud. 
Nor murmur of the passing crowd, 
Nor soldiers' drum, nor trumpet's swell, 
From yonder fallen citadel, 
Nor sound of human toil or strife, 
In that lone valley, speaks of life ; 
Nor breaks the silence, calm and deep, 
Where thou, beneath thy burial stone 
Art laid, in that unstartled sleep 
That living eye hath never known. 

In one of those deep ravines near Sebastopol, imdis- 
turbed now by other sound than bell of browsing sheep, 
is the burial ground of the Light Division. Thither very 
shortly the precious remains were borne to their last 
resting-place, with all a soldier's honours. A white stone 
cross was placed over the grave; and at its foot a few 
summer flowets were planted. These simple lines record 
his early death and blessed end : — 

" SACKED TO THE MEMOEY 

OF 

CAPT. M. M. HAMMOND, 2d BATT? R. B., 

WHO WAS KILLED IN THE ASSAULT ON 

THE KEDAN, 

8th SEPTEMBER 1855: 

AGED 31 YEARS. 

' Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.'" 
In the country church of Nonington, the parish of his own 



o IrS THE STOEMING. 

home, a tablet has also been erected, bearing these 
words : — 

** TO THE PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE, 

WHICH GAVE A 

CHRISTIAN LUSTRE TO THE LIFE, 

AND A 

BLESSEDNESS TO THE HONOURABLE DEATH, 

OF 

MAXIMILIAN MONTAGU HAMMOND, 

CAPTAIN IN THE 2d BATTALION OF THE RIFLE BRIGADE; 

THIRD SON OF W. O. HAMMOND, ESQ., 

OF 

ST alban's court, dt this parish. 

HE FELL AT THE ATTACK ON THE REDAN, 

BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, 

SEPT. 8th, 1855: AGED 31. 

'They which receive abundance of grace, and of the 
gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus 
Christ' (Eom. v. 17)." 



lESTlJVLONIAL LETTERS. 3:t9 



CHAPTER XXIIL 

Ctstimomal %tiim. 

"Farewell! 
We hang this garland on the grave 
Where thou art laid." 



Tatler. 



And now, perhaps, that we have followed this Christian 
soldier through his short but speaking life, it might not 
be out of place to introduce a few of those numerous 
letters, in which, after his departure, many a sorrowing 
friend strove, as he would have done, to lighten the 
pressure of heavy grief, by paying each their several 
tributes to his worth. 

Not alone on his own immediate circle ; not alone on his 
regiment; not alone on the bosom of his family, was the 
strong hand of grief laid by his early removal ; but there 
were those who, with quick perception of the sterling value 
of his character, holding positions of trust themselves, 
mourned his loss upon larger than mere personal grounds. 
One who holds high office in the state, and no speaker 
of light words without consideration, on hearing his name 
among those who had fallen, said of him, " that he looked 
to him as the man whose influence would be felt to be of 
untold benefit to the army;" and again, on another occa- 



350 TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 

sioii, in almost similar words — " that he looked to him as 
the regenerator of the army." Another, who faithfully 
discharged his sacred office as a minister of Christ, during 
the whole of the Crimean campaign, said, in words scarcely 
less valuable, " Of course, I feel for the family ; but it is for 
the nation that I feel most. I look upon his death as a 
public calamity." 

Colonel, now Major-General L # * *, who for some 
years commanded the battalion in which Captain Ham- 
mond was, says, in a letter from which we have already 
made many extracts: — 

" October ^0, 1855. 

" It was my happiness to be associated with him, both in 
public and private, for the last ten years of his life ; and I 
may truly say, that some of my happiest days were spent 
in his society. Many a time has he soothed my troubled 
spirit, with a tenderness I shall never forget ; many a time 
sympathised in my trials; while his even temper, and his 
peculiarly bright smile, gladdened my heart. Very 
pleasant was our iiitercourse; and truly delightful was 
it to see his rapid growth in grace, and the consistency of 
his course, " shining more and more unto the perfect day." 
Nor was his bearing, as an officer, less to be admired from 
the heartiness with which he acted ; combining great firm- 
ness with kindness; and obtaining considerable influence 
over both officers and men. The day on which he fell 
within the Redan, the service lost an officer of no common 
merit 

" From the day that he first joined with us in our 
searching the Scriptures, he never looked back. He 



TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 351 

became first a diligent inquii'er into the truth of revealed 
religion, and afterwards a teacher in the regimental garrison 
Sunday school. His progress in knowledge was remark- 
able. As the light of truth broke upon him, he acted 
upon it with the strength, forwardness, and courage for 
which he had ever been distinguished. He never seemed 
to falter or to hesitate, and those who watched his career 
with the most interest never felt any fears on his behalf. 
There was a remarkable consistency in his course, which 
made itself felt, and acquired for him the respect of those 
who differed widely from him on the subject of religion. 
.... We know the spirit in which he went out to the 
Crimea. But he so impressed everybody with his earnest- 
ness in whatever he had to do, that Captain N * * *, 
writing from Malta, said, ' Hammond passed on his way 
to the Crimea, full of military ardour.'" 

Colonel M * * *, of the Eifle Brigade, in the remainder 
of a letter of which the substance- has in part been given, 



.... "I recollect seeing him last at a distance in the 
trench, while I was proceeding over the parapet; and I 
saw him no more, in consequence of the confusion attend- 
ing the struggle. All I could afterwards learn of his fate 
lead me to suppose that, after clearing the parapet, he 
must have rushed impetuously on the enemy's ranks, 
foUow^ed by a few to meet overpowering numbers, the 
while exhibiting a daring seldom equalled and never 
surpassed in the history of strife. Closing an exemplary 
life, he fell, as he had lived, an honour to his country. I 
hud barely time to renew my former acquaintance with one 



So 2 TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 

SO noble, when he was suddenly snatched from us. The 
heroism attending his fatal end sheds so bright a halo on 
his past life, that, while his loss will occasion heart-rending 
sorrow, yet there is consolation in the consciousness that 
none could be better prepared to meet his Maker and 
eternal life. In the ravine where many of the Light 
Division now rest, two plain white stone crosses mark the 
spot where Maxy and *R * * * rest. The stationary 
nature of the present war has enabled us, until now, to pay 
this slight tribute of esteem to the memory of our departed 
comrades. And, as respect for the dead is imiversal in 
Russia, these two crosses will never be disturbed. — Believe 
me, with the deepest sympathy, yours very sincerely, 

" A. F. M * * *. 
"Camp, Sebastopol, November 16, ]85o." 

From Major Woodford, R. B. : — 

" Dear Sir, — .... I regret much that I had never 
been for any length of time in the society of your brother, 
than whom it would be difficult to find a better, truer, or 
braver man. He had only joined the 2d battalion on the 
5th September. I had seen him on the 6th, when he 
came and sat in my tent for a considerable time. On the 
morning of the 8th, we all paraded together in camp, and 
he seemed in good spirits, and prepared for anything. . . 

" You must be aware that no dead, or even wounded, 
could be removed from the neighbourhood of the Redan 
till after midnight, when it was discovered that the enemy 
were evacuating. Efforts were made to discover the body 

* Lieutenant Rydt^r, Rifle Brigade, whose gallantry on this occasion la 
mentioned in a subsequent extract, p. 363 of this volume. 



TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 853 

that night, but it was impossible. I went into the Eedan 
just before daylight, and had the melancholy duty of find- 
ing our two poor fellows, and having them carried to the 
camp. Your brother lay in the ditch, and all that I could 
find left on his person was a locket and chain, smeared 
with his heart's blood, and which was carefully preserved. 
Captain B * * *, of the 41 st regiment, yesterday informed 
me that your brother died almost in his arms ; for he caught 
him as he fell, having come back running from the inside 
of the Kedan, evidently very dangerously wounded, with 
both his arms out; and as he reached the parapet, life was 
exhausted, and he fell into the ditch, half supported by 
Captain B * * *, and such was his end. To know that 
your brother behaved nobly and did his duty to the last, 
will, I hope, be some little consolation to you and all his 
family; and also to know how much and deservedly he is 
regretted by us, and all who knew him, for his many noble 

and good qualities 

" I have it from General W * * *, that he is personally 
grateful to a tall dark officer of the Eifles (he did not 
know your brother), who stood by him in the Eedan, and 
endeavoured to assist him in forming the men ; which was, 

however, in the confusion, quite impossible I am 

much grieved at the sad fate he met with, after so much 
bravery, which will long and ever, I hope, be remembered 
by Eiflemen. — Believe me, my dear Sir, very sincerely 
yours, C. WOODFOKD."* 

* While these sheets were going through the press, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Woodford, the writer of this letter, has fallen, as he had lived, in his 
country's service. A fttr a period of seven tetn years in the army, comprising 
the campaipDs of 1852-3 in South Africa (medal), and the campaign ia the 
CriuKa, duiing which he acted as Deputy- Adjutant-Quarter-Master-General 

Z 



354j testbioxial letters. 

From Captain B « * *, 4)lst Regiment: — 

" 2d Division, 9th November, 1855. 

" My deae Sir, — .... We were, many of us, officers 
and men, standing inside the Eedan at the time Captain 
Hammond was wounded. Your brother was in advance 
of most of us, and the last I saw of him was when he 
came running back, with both arms uplifted, towards the 
ditch. He came directly in the line where I was standing, 
and I then caught him, to prevent his falling into the 
ditch; he was perfectly dead. Death must have been 
instantaneous. I do not think he could have suffered 
anything like pain .... His sword dropped from his 
hand, when I ran forward and picked it up, and afterwards 

gave it to one of his brother officers — Believe, &c., 

F. C. B * * *, 

From Lieut. -Colonel G * * *, 90th Light Infantry: — 

" Camp before Sebastopol, 
September 11, 1855. 

" My dear Mr Hammond, — Sad indeed was our list of 
casualties on the 8th; but saddest of all was the scanty 
but too true information I got last night, that my very 
dear friend, poor Maxy, was killed. Poor fellow ! he had 
only just arrived here ; and when I stood on the crest of 
the Redan, turning round to see if supi^orts were coming, 

at head-quarters, and was wounded at the Redan (medal, Brevet-Maj(Mr and 
Lieutenant-Colonel, and Sai'dinian medal). He fell while successfully 
charging a battery of Sepoy mutineers, ixx the recent attack under General 
Wyndham before Cawnpore. 



TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 355 

I found your son, my old friend, coming up the ladder, 
followed by a handful of his men. I greeted him, and 
caught his hand; and at once entered on some military 
suggestions about using the bayonet on the right, and 
stopping the men from useless firing. I added, ' But you 
are senior to me now;' and so he passed on, and with him 
poor young Eyder. In a very short time they were both 
killed by the enemy. Fine fellow ! he was pressing on so 
hard— ^00 hard. He little knew or cared for our mur- 
derous position. I thought you would like a line from 
me, who, perhaps, was the last that ever shook his hand 
alive. Our meeting was very extraordinary; our parting 
in this w^orld very melancholy. But you, Mr Hammond, 
and all your family, have this consolation — you know 

his spirit is at rest Out of the nineteen officers I 

commanded at the assault, fifteen w^ere either killed or 

wounded — Yours very sincerely, 

''KG** */' 

From Major N * * *, Rifle Brigade: — 

- October 21, 1857. 

" My dear Hammond, — .... A short time since I 
was talking to Captain D * * *, on half-pay from the 
90th Regiment, who was in the Redan on the 8th Sep- 
tember. He mentioned the conduct of one of our officers 
as having particularly struck him. He said he never saiu 
so brave a man, and that he fought desperately. He went 
up to him after he was wounded, and found that he was 
killed ; but, to use his own words, ' that he looked just 
as if he was asleep.' From the description he gave, I am 
quite sure that this w^as Maxy." 



356 TESTBIONIAL LETTERS. 

From Lieut-Colonel G * * *, R B. : — 

" My dear W * * *, — From F * * *'s pen you will 
have heard all the particulars of poor dear Maxy's death. 
My chief object in wiiting is to bear testimony to his 
devoted gallantry. I shook hands with him on the fifth 
parallel, and was talking to him when the Riflemen were 
ordered to advance, who, led as they were by your dear 
brother, rushed to the assault as did no men that day. 
.... The 2d battalion, sent up to the support, behaved 
nobly. Maxy's gallant behaviour was remarked by all." 

From Dr F * * *, R B. : — 

The preceding portion of this letter has been quoted 
before, either in substance or in letter. It is resumed: — 

" After bidding good-bye to some of the officers, I 
hastened to the hospital, and avoided meeting beloved 
Hammond. Colonel M * * * will tell you, from his 
own personal knowledge, of the bravery and gallantry of 
your darling son. He was killed on the parapet of the 
Redan, by a bayonet wound into the heart, while (as I 
learn from a soldier who was near him) making a path- 
way for the soldiers through the parapet. He was found 
in the ditch, into which he must have fallen or been 
pushed by the numbers that surrounded him, and amongst 
whom his sword did fell work. His death must have 
been instantaneous. He was also in the act of cheering 
on the men of other regiments who were retiring. His 
body was found this morning in the ditch of the Redan 
by Major W * * * ; Captain B * * * and the latter 



TESTBIONIAL LETTERS. 357 

having taken a locket which he wore, which I send you 
with his watch, and other little mementos of one for ever 
dear to my heart. Sebastopol in flames this morning 
saddened my heart, and drove me to tears ; for it had 
taken from me my beloved friend. I saw him put into 
his coffin, and followed him to his grave in the adjoining 
ravine, and buried him side by side with young Eyder, 
who was also killed in the Redan. All our officers, his 
own old company, many from the 1st battalion, and 
General Codrington, paid the last office of respect to one 
whom every one in the regiment — -officer and soldier — ■ 
respected and loved. And, who ever knew that noble 
fellow — that shining Christian, Maxy Hammond — but 
loved him ? The blank can never be filled up to me again 
in this world, for we loved each other with a brother's 
love. He died in the Lord, and shall ever be with Him. 
This is our abiding comfort — this alone sustains the heart 
under the oppressive cloud of affliction. One remark 
occurs to me during our last conversation. He said, that 
of late he had received peculiar comfort from the doc- 
trine of election, which had occupied his mind very much 
during the passage ; and that at Constantinople he had 
had a precious opportunity of partaking of the Lord's 
Supper. His servant, in tears, told me this morning that 
he had called him in to prayer in his tent yesterday 
morning before going out. He was found watching, and 
desirous to gather others in. — Ever faithfully yours, 

" John F * * *." 

From a private in the 2d battalion, Rifle Brigade, lato 
servant to Colonel L ♦ * *: — 



358 testimonial lettees. 

" Camp before Sebastopol, 
September 10, 1855. 

" It is with deep regret that I write to communicate 
the sad account of poor Captain Hammond's death. He 
was killed on the 8th in storming the Redan. He led his 
men most gallantly to the charge. The battle was fought 
on the 8th ; commenced at twelve o'clock, and did not end 
till seven in the evening. It was an awful sight; our regi- 
ment suffered very severely. We had two officers kille<:l and 
seven wounded, and about 250 or 300 in men. Sebastopol 
is taken. The south side belongs to tlie allies. It has 
been a dearly purchased place. The valuable lives that 
have been sacrificed this war ! Oh ! the horrors of war ! 
no tongue can teU nor pen describe. 

" Poor Captain Hammond disembarked from on board 
ship at Balaklava on the 6th. I vrent dov^m to meet him 
with Colonel L * * *'s horse. He shook hands with 
me. I spoke to him on the morning of the 8th. He 
said, ' I have to face the enemy in earnest.' It was the 
lirst time he had done a trench, which was against him, 
in being unacquainted with the nature of the works. But 
this did not alter his fate if he had known the works ever 
so. He was a noble soldier, a good Christian, beloved by 
his brother officers, and his men speak in the highest 
terms of him. What a consolation to know his peace was 
made with his God, and he is now at that better and 
heavenly place where all is peace and happiness. My 
sincere prayer to Almighty God is, that He will guide, 
guard, and protect poor Mrs M. Hammond, ajid give her 
consolation under the very severe trial which it has pleased 
the Lord for her to undergo. It . is heart-rending to tear 



TESTIMONIAL LETTEES. 359 

husband and wife, father and child, from one another. 
The Lord has promised to be a husband to the widow and 
a father to the fatherless. Yes, His promises are sure to 
those who trust in Christ for salvation 

" I cannot express my sorrow for the loss your family 
have to sustain in the loss of so good a man as Captain 
Hammond was. I have wrote in the best manner I could 
to communicate this sad intelligence to you ; for I felt 
such a shock, knowing liim so well. When I lived with 
Colonel L * * * we were as one family. It is a great 
blow. I can say no more. You shall all have my prayers, 
and the God of heaven hears and answers those that put 
their trust in Him 

" How good the providence of God has been to me, 
when so many thousands have fallen and I left I Thank 
God for all his mercies. I very often think of you all, 
when laying in my hard bed here. — Believe me, your sin- 
cere friend and well-wisher, 

"WW « ♦." 

From Surgeon C * * *, Rifle Brigade : — 

" My dear Sir, — .... I trust that the members of 
the late Captain Hammond's family will accept from me, 
though an entire stranger, the expression of profound 
sympathy with them: sympathy which is felt by every 
man, officer and private, in the regiment. On the evening 
of the 8th, when the Rifles mustered at their camp, and 
it was known that Caj^tain Hammond had fallen, I was 
most painfully reminded of the last interview I had with 
him. On the day I left Fort Cumberland, early in July, 



360 TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 

Captain Hammond came to my quarters to say 'good-bye.' 
Several lithographic drawings were on the walls of my 
sitting-room, one of them being a sort of chart of the 
Redan Battery. Whilst I was packing my trunks, Captain 
Hammond remained silently for about a quarter of an 
hour examining the plan. At last he said with a smile, 
' I wonder you hang this on the wall. It is enough to 
alarm all your friends, who expect to go there.' I replied 
that it looked indeed like a forlorn hope, but that the 
young officers at the fort were never tired of joking in 
reference to the difficulty of storming the embankments. 
Captain Hammond remarked, still with a smile, and yet 
with much of solemnity, ' Well ! I suppose Ave shall all be 
going out with the next draft. If we are in the storm- 
ing party, some of us will be left the^-e. Perhaps I may: 
God alone knows.' 

"When the draft under Captain Hammond's command 
was ordered to embark, their destination was suj^posed to 
be Malta. At Malta the draft was ordered to the Crimea, 

and arrived on the evening of the 5th September 

On the morning of the 8th, when the regiment was about 
to march to the assault, Captain Hammond's demeanour 
was such as you, who know him so much better than I, 
may readily understand. Cheerful, yet serious, a man at 
2)eace and in charity with all men ; a soldier, resolved to 
perform the stem duty required by his country. It was 
at this time that Lieutenant Eyre addressed him in the 
lang-uage mentioned in the letter to which you have alluded. 
The reply was, ' I am quite ready.' I may further men- 
tion, that the belief of the regiment (who still constantly 
talk of it) is, that in marching down with his company 



TESTIMOMAL LETTERS. Sol 

Captain Hammond was fully impressed with the conviction 
that he should never return. 

" You are already acquainted with the circumstances of 
the attack on the Eedan. Instead of sendins: whole reo-i- 
ments, half the army, against fortifications which 1000 
men might have held against the world, companies of 50 
or 1 00 men were sent from various regiments. Of course, 
all were mixed up together. The result was indescribable 
confusion and excitement. Our men, reeling amidst a 
hurricane of grape, fired on this side and on that, into the 
air; and only the old soldiers can recall a single incident, 
or tell you what really happened in the storming of the 
Great Redan. Officers lost their men, and men lost their offi- 
cers. Half the storming party were composed of boys; 
recruits, who had never been under fire before ; and of 
these, many hundreds fled in every direction, and hid 
themselves in the ditch, creating a panic through all 
the ranks behind them. Amidst all this confusion, at 
one of the embrasures of the Redan, fighting with a 
few of his company who followed him to the death, 
was. Captain Hammond. Their black coats were easily 
distinguished. Captain Hammond was seen to cut down 
several of the enemy with his own sword. He then 
disappeared for a time. Whether he was made a prisoner, 
or whether he entered the Redan and fought there, it is 
impossible to say. The men who were with him died 
with him. But I think it probable that, having fought 
]iis way into the Redan, being wholly unsupported, he was 
compelled to fight his way back again. He reaj^peared 
at one of the embrasures, still fiojhting, when he fell back- 
wards. 



362 TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 

" Early on tlie next morning-, a party went ont to 
search for the body, * Captain B * * * in command. For 
two honrs the search was continned withont snccess; and 
the men were about to return, hopino- that your brother 
might be a prisoner, when Captain B * * * noticed an 
arm stretched upwards, from beneath a heap of slain, 
in the Redan ditch; and the body was immediately dis- 
covered. The eyes were closed, and the features bore 
an expression of singular placidity. Death had been 
painless and instantaneous. On the afternoon of the 
same day, Captain Hammond and Lieutenant Ryder were 
buried in the ravine, which the 1st Brigade, Light Divi- 
sion, have consecrated as their burial ground.-f* A very 
neat cross, of white stone, ha.s been placed at the head 

of your brother's grave When last I visited his 

gi'ave, about a fortnight ago, a very large and massive 
slab, which would cover the whole of the mound, was 
being laid down. The grave, however, had not been 
previously neglected. Some kind hand had placed round 
it a low wall, formed of fragments of granite; and a 
shrub, bearing a beautiful purple flower, was planted at 
the foot. I know that I need ofl'er no apology for this 
long letter. — Believe me, my dear sir, yours faithfully, 

" Walter C * * *." 

A notice of the death of these two officers, from the 
same pen, appeared in the Illustrated London News: — 

* This is an error of tbe writer. Colonel Woodford commanded the party 
\iho went in search. 

+ The Jiearer cross in the fronti.spiece indicates the grave of Cnptain Ham* 
lU' nd ; the most distant, that ot Lieutenant Ryder. 



testimo>ial leiteks. s63 

" Camp before Sebastopol, 
September 9, 1855. 
" In the 2d battalion, Rifle Brigade, we have to lament 
the loss of Captain Hammond and Lieutenant Ryder. We 
have Lieutenants Carey, Eyre, Eccles, and Riley wounded ; 
and about 130 men killed and wounded. With Captain 
Hammond's name you will be familiar; as I frequently 
mentioned to you the many acts of kindness I received 
from him when he commanded the depot at Fort Cumber- 
land. A braver soldier never, on that day, mounted the 
Redan. A Christian of more unaffected piety never 
entered the presence of God. He had only been in the 
Crimea forty-eight hours when he was killed. When the 
Rifles were forming for the attack, a young subaltern, 
o'oino' into action for the first time, who had come out 
with Hammond, addressed him, ' Captain Hammond, how 
fortunate we are, we are just in time for Sebastopol!' 
Hammond's eyes were gazing where the rays of the sun 
made a path of golden light over the sea, and his answer 
Avas short and remarkable, and accompanied by the quiet 
smile, which those who knew him will so well remember. 
* / am quite ready' said he. The next that was seen of 
him was, when his sword was flasliing above one of the 
embrasures of the Redan. He was, indeed, at the head of 
his company, fighting to gain an entrance for them. A 
dozen bayonets were at his heart, and once he Avas dragged 
in a prisoner. In a few moments, he was recognised 
again outside the embrasui-e, still hacking with his sword. 
The next morning, at six o'clock, Captain B « * * found 
him in the ditch, beneath a dozen of the shiin, with a 
bayonet wound through tlie heart. Hammond and Ryder 



364? TESTIMONIAL LETTEIIS. 

were buried this afternoon, in the burial ground of the 
Division, rendered sacred, long ago, by the sepulture of 
brave men. Kyder was barely eighteen years old ; and 
was one of my earliest friends after I entered the service. 
Before the assault had lasted an hour, he was shot in the 
throat and fell ; and was carried to the rear, and consigned 
to a surgeon. But, as it happened, the surgeon was en- 
gaged at the moment that Ryder was brought in ; and the 
young lieutenant tied his handkerchief round his throat, 
and was seen again on the ladder ; and when he was found 
the next day in the ditch, a bayonet thrust had transfixed 
his forehead. — I am, dear * * *, yours faithfully, 

" Walter C * * » , 
*' Staff Assistant-surgeon, attached to the 
" Light Division." 

Such is the testimony borne to his professional worth. 
Let us see in what manner his private qualities were 
valued. It is no slight evidence of his life of active use- 
fulness, that in eight different churches, and four of them 
in parishes where he had been quartered, sermons were 
preached on the occasion of his death. 

At Canterbury, the Rev. B. L. W * * *, on the 1 6th 
September, spoke in these words: "I cannot forbear to 
remind you of a brave young officer in the British army, 
who only the week before last was so signally privileged 
to experience in his own person the blessed reality of this 
triumphant victory over our last enemy — death. You 
can most of you well remember that, only two short years 
ago, the officer to whom I am alluding resided for a con- 
siderable time in this city, and was accustomed. Sabbath 



after Sabbath, to assemble here with us in this house of 
prayer to worsliip the Lord. You can most of you realise 
to your mind's eye afresh his form and features, how he 
was clothed with all the health and strength of robust 
youth, and looked as if it would be many, many years 
before he would be visited by death. You can also most 
of you remember his holy bearing and consistent cha- 
racter ; how evident it was to all who knew him, that he 
had, indeed, been with Jesus in real earnest; that the 
Spirit of Christ did, indeed, dwell in him, and walk in 
him ; that it was his daily and hourly delight to glorify 
his Saviour in all things, to live for Him, and to follow 
Him here in this present evil, persecuting world, with all 
holy conversation and gentleness, that hereafter he might 
follow Him and dwell with Him for ever in His own 
heavenly kingdom above. You can most of you readily 
call to mind, in one word, how manifestly to him 'to 
live was Christ.' And now, notwithstanding his bodily 
strength; notwithstanding the bright and glorious pro- 
mise of his youth that his life would be prolonged to ex- 
treme old age, whilst bravely fighting for his country, he 
was cut down by the murderous weapons of his enemies, 
and in an instant was numbered with the dead. But now 
comes the vital, the all-important question, Did death 
triumph over the young soldier? Did death, his last 
enemy, really obtain a victory over him ? Standing here 
as a minister of Christ, and in dependence upon His ex- 
press assurance, ' By their fruits ye shall know them,' I 
fearlessly answer. No ! Even when he fell to the earth a 
lifeless corpse, he was more than conqueror through Him 
that loved him. Through faith in Christ Jesus, that al- 



S66 TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 

mighty Scavionr to whom he had so long, so completely 
committed his immortal soul, he found in that last moment 
of his seeming helplessness, that last struggle of his sink- 
ing mortality, that death, his last enemy, was indeed most 
completely destroyed; for that to be absent from the 
body was t(5 be present witli the Lord ; that to die was, 
indeed, the most glorious gain to him, for his liberated 
soul was at once admitted into the presence of Jesus, to 
be for ever with the Lord ; for ever to see Jesus as He is, 
and in all His inconceivable loveliness; for ever to rejoice 
in the immediate and glorious presence of his Saviour- 
God. Oh ! who can realise such blessedness as this, with- 
out most earnestly longing to be a partaker of it himself 
when he comes to die ! Who can contemplate the glo- 
rious entrance of the dying soldier of Christ into the 
kingdom of heaven, without exclaiming from his inmost 
heart, ' Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my 
last end be like his ! ' " 

We will conclude with some extracts from the letters 
that poured in after he was taken away: — 

No. 1. 
" God help you all under your affliction. Need I say 
how I sympathise with you in the loss of such a son. To 
me I cannot say what he has not been — brother and 
friend. I never met his like, or expect to see it again. 
After witnessing for Christ for ten years, he has gone to 
be with Him." 

No. 2. 

" I know very well, from my own experience in the 
army, that there used to be a very prevalent opinion thatj 



TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 367 

when an officer became a * saint,' he ceases to be good for 
anything as a soldier. I rejoice, therefore, for the sol- 
dier's sake, and for the honour of my Lord and Saviour, 
that we have not to j>'0 back as far as the times of Colonel 
Gardiner or General Burn for an instance of a Christian 
officer. Thanks be to God, we can encourage the diffi- 
dent young soldier of Christ noiu, by naming men of our 
own days — Fordyce, Vicars, Shadforth, and Maximilian 
Hammond — who were faithful unto death, and to the 
commission which Queen Victoria had confided to them ; 
while their constraining motive was love to the Lord, who 
had bought them with His precious blood, and earnest 
desire that He might, in all their conduct, be glorified. 

" In looking back to the days of frequent intercourse 
with your brother, I have a, vivid recollection of his quiet, 
uniform, consistent maintenance of the Christian character, 
in his whole deportment and every act. And I could not 
help remarking, with some share of self-reproach, that I, 
who was his senior in military service and in the knowledge 
of the doctrine of evangelical truth, had been far, very far 
outstripped in the life of faith by him. Every one who 
enjoyed the privilege of intercourse with him, ' took know- 
ledge of him that he had been with Jesus.' The spirit of 
Christ so dwelt in him, that his countenance quite lit tip 
with animation when he spoke out from his heart of the ex- 
ceeding preciousness of the Saviour, and all-sufficiency, in 
all things, of His grace. The shafts of ridicule and scorn 
were never directed against him ; and had they been so, 
they would have fallen blunted and harmless to the earth ; 
for with the character of the earnest Christian, he com- 
bined that of the gentleman, the sensible well-informed 



;jG8 TESTI5I0^'1AL LETTEKS. 

man, the efficient regimental officer, and the kind, amiable, 
sympathising friend. So that thoughtless young men. 
who were not alive to the claims of vital religion, could 
not help feeling strong regard and esteem for him as a 
man ■ — Believe me, &c." 

No. 3. 

"The Rev. G. C * * * made a most touching and 

heautiful allusion to the death of your now sainted son, in 

his sermon at Newport, this evening. Dear Captam 

Hammond was so well known in these parts. Indeed, his 

sweetness of disposition and consistent Christian conduct 

endeared him to all who knew him. Truly he was lovely 

and pleasant in his life, and seemed almost to live in 

heaven.'' 

No. 4. 

From an Army Scripture Reader: — 

" September 7. — I met and spent some time with Cap- 
tain Hammond. I scarcely ever met one in whom the 
image of Christ was so reflected. It came forth in every 
word and action. A holy calm rested on his countenance, 
and the expression of his hope and confidence was clear 
and unwavering. It was the first and last meeting below 
— next day he fell. Never was one so regretted. His 
regiment felt that they had lost their best friend, and well 
they might, for much did he labour for their eterual good 

"Many a sad blank was found; and I had, especially, 
to weep over one friend, who had only arrived from Eng- 
land two days before the attack. He was an officer of the 
Rifles, and if honoured with a tomb- stone, the epitaph 
truly may be, ' He walked with God."' 



TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 369 

No. 5. 

**I shall never forget him, or the impression he left 

on me; so earnest, so single-minded, so very lovely in 

manner and expression, and such deep devoted love to 

the Saviour and His cause. He always, to me, recalled 

M'Cheyne ; breathing the very spirit of holiness 

He was a rare man, an uncommon Christian; and one, 
once seen, not soon or easily forgotten." 

No. 6. 
"I remember well what my impression was, at the 
time, of his character as a man of the world. Then so 
gentle, so amiable, so greatly to be beloved (poor dear 
fellow, I see him in my mind's eye now, with his happy, 
smiling, manly countenance — a kind word for all and 
every one), my feeling was, if Hammond were converted 
to God, what an intrepid, fearless soldier of the cross (and 
yet, coupled with the deepest humility) would he be 
found/' 

No. 7. 
" We were so much thrown together at one time, that 
he was to me a beloved brother. I trust I may never for- 
get how much I have learned from him, in his manly, 
open-hearted, and truly Christian disposition. He was, 
indeed, a bright example of the true soldier of the cross of 
Christ. His letters to me always spoke of his earnest 
desire to live to the honour and glory of God, in Christ 

Jesus F * * * in a letter says, ' How few men 

like Hammond do you meet anywhere! His character 
will stand any test. He was not an ordinary man.' " 

2a 



370 TESTBIONIAL LETTERS. 

No. 8. 
" Fondly had I hoped that he, who was such a model of 
many virtues and of Christian graces ; who was the object 
of so many prayers; would be graciously spared, as an 
example to us all in following his Master. No one could 
know him without love and admiration; and it is not for 
his precious spirit (for that is ineffably happy, and would 
not now have entered heaven otherwise than in that 
chariot of fire; for so was the will of God, and in that 
will his is entirely lost) ; it is not for him, that we must 
mourn.'* 

No. 9. 

" His whole walk was close with God, and his life more 
pure and holy than that of any other being I ever met 

with One word of him whom I so much admired 

— who so lived to his God, and who is now with Him in 
quite unapproachable happiness. When I heard he was 
gone, my first words weie, ' Thank God ! ' for I thought 
only of what the gain must be to him. What a blessing 
to know, that when Christ shall come again on earth, he 
who served his God so faithfully shall come with Him, 
and join all those on earth who love the Lord's appear- 
ing!" 

No. ]0. 
*' Indeed, when 1 think of him, my mind rests not so 
much upon isolated traits, as upon the tenor of his life ; 
the beautiful unity, harmony, and evenness of his cha- 
racter and walk ; his eminent, abiding spirituality of 
mind ; his unfailing, ever-gro\Wng, fruitfulness, to the 



CONCLUSION. 871 

praise of the grace of God. To me he has been a 
heaven-sent blessing. To glorify God, and to win souls 
to Christ, was the object of his life; and he has left a 
record whicli may do so still. I never dare to hope that 
another such a friend will be given me, as he who did so 
gently, tenderly, and wisely help me, and constantly cleave 
to me, during long years of separation." 

What shall we say, then, in conclusion ? 

"Though there is a just man that perisheth in his 
righteousness," yet " In the way of righteousness there is 
life, and in the pathway thereof there is no death." 

Do not these thino's, then, tell us that it is hi^h time to 

CD ' ' O 

gird on our panoply ? A very little while, and there shall 
be a marshalling of hosts, before which even the sands 
of the sea shall be as nothing in multitude. A very little 
while, and the trumpet shall ring forth a blast, at the 
sound of which not the walls of that beleaguered city, 
but the very foundations of the earth, shall tremble. A 
very little while, and then shall appear, attended by His 
white-robed host, not earthly prince or potentate, nor 
mortal conqueror, but the sign of the Son of man in 
heaven. And who may abide the day of His coming? 
What sleeper shall endure the warning of that trumpet- 
blast, when many of those that sleej) in the dust of the 
earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to 
shame and everlasting contempt? Happy, happy he, who 
in that dread hour shall be found with the watchword on 
his lips, " Quite ready !" 



372 CONCLUSION. 

" He sleeps, alas ! a soldier's sleep 
Upon the red Crimean plain ; 
And we must cease our loss to weep. 
And gird us to the world again. 

" But hours like this will reach us yet, 

When something heard, or seen, or spoken, 
Stirs up within our hearts regret, 

Mellowed by time, but never broken." 

Barnaed. 



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